To ask the First Minister and deputy First Minister for an update on the linkage between work on combating racism and prevention of other types of hate crime.

Mrs Little-Pengelly

We strongly condemn all forms of hate and prejudice; they have no place in our society. Through the development of our draft framework for race relations, we continue to work collaboratively with all Departments to support cohesive, thriving communities. While the framework’s focus is on addressing racism and race hate crime, we are also working to bring forward a refreshed approach to the Executive’s Together: Building a United Community (T:BUC) strategy, which will, hopefully, create alignment with the draft framework for race relations and ensure that our efforts to tackle all forms of hate are maximised and encompass the evolving issues across communities. Additionally, our officials engage regularly with their counterparts in the Department of Justice in forums such as the DOJ-led hate crime delivery group to ensure a coherent and coordinated approach, across government, to all forms of hate crime.

Mrs Little-Pengelly

I am not aware of the removal of specific funding. The Member will be aware that, due to the situation with the Budget, each Department is liaising with the organisations that they have funded to try to ensure that there is some certainty, while discussion of the overall issue continues. It is, of course, important that we support our third-sector partners. They are critical to us in trying to tackle such issues. We work with statutory bodies as well. We work with the PSNI and very closely with the Department of Justice. That is important. At a time of budgetary constraints, however, it is more important than ever to work with existing programmes to mainstream some of their core values, tackling some of the attitudes and issues that give rise to hate and prejudice. That includes those in the Department of Education and the Department for Communities. We support so many projects with funding, including through councils, through which we could mainstream that and use the money that we have in a way that maximises outcomes.

Ms Sheerin

I welcome the strong condemnation of all hate crime and prejudicial language. Does the Minister agree that it is important that all Members across the Chamber strongly condemn hate crime and any sort of sectarian or racist abuse and that we all bear that in mind when talking in the Chamber by using language that reflects respect for all sections of our society?

Mrs Little-Pengelly

Yes, of course.

Mr K Buchanan

Deputy First Minister, you talked about T:BUC in response to a previous question and in your answer to this question. Do you agree that bringing forward a revised and refreshed T:BUC strategy as soon as possible is extremely important to crime prevention more broadly?

Mrs Little-Pengelly

Absolutely. It is important that we call out that hate, prejudice and criminal behaviour wherever we see it. I was in the Chamber for Members' statements and listened to my colleague Deborah Erskine talk about the attack on a Sunday school hall in her constituency and about the importance of people calling that out. That is hate. Things that may not seem really big to others are incredibly important to those who use the hall. It is incredibly upsetting when people see that type of attack, which has been motivated by hate.

My colleague rightly pointed out that, in those circumstances, we need to hear all MLAs across all parties calling that out very loudly. It is about calling out not just those incidents that grab the headlines but all forms of hate, wherever we see it. We should stand united against them all.

Mr Speaker

Mr O'Toole for a brief supplementary.

Mr O'Toole

Thank you, Mr Speaker. On that, deputy First Minister, do you agree that many people in the BAME community here feel really let down by the Executive? Hate crime increased by 50% in the final year of the last racial equality strategy. They really want to see more practical action ahead of the summer, in particular, because there is the fear of more violence, given that we have seen that during the last two summers in Northern Ireland.

Mrs Little-Pengelly

The Member is likely aware that, after the issues that arose in Ballymena, we have invested over £500,000 through local councils to support resilience work right across Northern Ireland. We have also worked with partners, including the PSNI, the DOJ, local councils and others, to try to ensure that a range of actions come forward. We have the refugee integration strategy. A lot of work has been happening under that, including a number of key actions that are being driven forward in the collaborative groups. Of course this is incredibly important. It is about a combination of showing political leadership and saying very clearly that any aspect of hate, intolerance and prejudice is wrong, and investing in communities to support their resilience in order to resist that.

Mr Speaker

I call Mr O'Toole to ask a topical question.