To ask the First Minister and deputy First Minister to outline any support being provided to children who have been displaced from their homes as a result of racial attacks and intimidation.

Mrs O'Neill

With your permission, Mr Speaker, junior Minister Reilly will answer the question.

Ms Reilly

We, along with our Executive colleagues, have made it very clear that all acts of violence and intimidation are abhorrent and have no place in our society. Everyone, regardless of race, religion or background, is entitled to feel safe and be safe, free from threat or intimidation. The Executive Office provides funding of over £7 million to local organisations and councils to support cohesion and integration and to address good relations issues. An additional allocation of £220,000 was distributed to councils to address issues around racial and social cohesion. In parallel, work has progressed on the Executive Office crisis fund, which could be used to support those at risk of destitution or homelessness. Enhancing community cohesion is very much a cross-cutting issue that requires a collective and joined-up approach. In recognition of that, the Executive Office is leading a dedicated community cohesion group. It is working collaboratively across Departments, sectors and communities to bring people together to create safer and more supportive environments. The Education Authority (EA) has also provided a range of support for children impacted on, including supporting children in Ballymena to return to school. In addition, it is working with Belfast City Council to bring together 14 schools affected by the unrest across Belfast for cluster working and racial literacy training for teachers. A follow-up good relations programme is also planned with the EA and Mid and East Antrim Borough Council in the spring and summer to help to address misinformation and race-related incidents.

Ms Reilly

As I mentioned, it is a cross-cutting issue. We need to continue working with all Ministers across the Executive. Families came here hoping that this place would finally be somewhere that they could build a stable and peaceful life. We can never lose sight of the fact that they are human beings who are looking for nothing more than what any of us would want for our families. Our Department and officials have been working hard to support communities so that people feel welcome and safe. As I mentioned, that is done by providing funding to local councils and community organisations specifically to strengthen cohesion, integration and good relations. However, funding alone is not enough. It is important that we constantly look for new avenues and new partnerships so that we can keep working together across government, councils, voluntary groups and communities to make sure that those who want to call this place home feel safe, supported and valued. We all share a responsibility to make that possible.

Mrs Mason

What work is being done by the Executive Office to help build a society that is free from the scourge of sectarianism, racism and intolerance?

Ms Reilly

As I have mentioned, the Executive Office and the wider Executive have made it very clear that everyone is entitled to feel safe and be safe in our society. Racism and sectarianism have absolutely no place in our communities. There are no excuses for it, and we, as political leaders, have a responsibility to show leadership, call out racism and stand with victims of intimidation, discrimination and violence, and we will continue to do that. The Executive Office has a number of programmes to help support that work. Over £500,000 in additional funding has been provided since the summer to fund projects that promote inclusion and integration. We also have the Executive Office's minority ethnic development fund, which is approximately £1 million per annum; the planned interventions programme; and a range of other programmes, including Together: Building a United Community (T:BUC), that provide funding to promote inclusion and integration. There is also the central good relations fund and the Communities in Transition programme, which, with a budget of £2·9 million, is delivering 35 projects that are focused on resilience and tackling paramilitarism.

Mr O'Toole

I, like others in the Chamber, represent probably the most diverse constituency in the North. I have to say, and I am not spoofing, that most BAME individuals and communities are underwhelmed by the Executive's response to the race riots. One element of that is the criminal justice response. Is the Executive Office engaged with the Justice Minister on the sentencing Bill, and when will we finally get hate-crime provisions in law?

Ms Reilly

As I have said, the Executive Office constantly engages across the Executive with other Departments and Ministers. However, the issues that the Member raised are specifically within the Justice Minister's remit.