To ask the First Minister and deputy First Minister for an assessment of how their Department has managed the functions of the Northern Ireland Strategic Migration Partnership that are under their remit.

Mrs O'Neill

Since assuming responsibility for the coordination and engagement functions of the previous Strategic Migration Partnership, the Executive Office has worked in conjunction with partners to support asylum seekers and refugees and their integration into the community. That involves officials engaging with the relevant agencies to consider often challenging asylum and resettlement policies and to represent local interests to the Home Office on policy plans and implementation, such as room-sharing policies in asylum accommodation. Following the recent unrest, officials set up cross-sectoral meetings with statutory bodies, voluntary partners and the Home Office, thus ensuring that key information was shared. A further element of our Strategic Migration Partnership work has focused on building a picture of community cohesion and service availability in a number of local locations. Phase 1 has been completed, and the Home Office is using that work to inform asylum dispersal here. In a similar vein, officials led a multi-agency working group to address move-on pressures and to help facilitate the transition for those who are gaining immigration status to live here. We will continue to work closely with our cross-sectoral partners to build on those successes and to strengthen engagement and communication in that area further.

Mrs O'Neill

I can give the Member an assurance that we will do everything that we can. Where any particular issues arise, we will always want to know about them so that we can respond appropriately. On the question of access to school places for asylum-seeking children, the Education Authority (EA) will no longer intervene to support them to secure a school place in the initial four-week period, owing to a fear of their moving on and children being moved from school to school. There is perhaps a challenge there. It is therefore important that we be sensitive to all those things and that we get this right. If the Member has any particular areas of concern to raise or would like to talk to me, I am more than happy to hear from her, because the EA has advised us that housing them in that type of accommodation for a short period will cause unnecessary disruption to families. We just have to be careful and work our way through the situation as best we can. If there are any particular cases that the Member would like to raise with me, I am more than happy to hear about them.

Mr Kearney

Lena chois sin,

on 8 August, the Assembly was recalled, and we issued a very strong message that we stood firmly against racist violence, intimidation and threat. Does the First Minister agree that we need a political and legislative zero tolerance of all forms of hate crime?

Mr Speaker

You have less than a minute.

Mrs O'Neill

Thank you for that. I absolutely concur. The racism, violence and intimidation that we have seen on our streets in recent months is a challenge to each and every one of us who wants to build a shared society here, with equality and respect at its heart, and a better future. As an elected body, we also need to have that approach to promoting and upholding that. I do not think that we will ever lose sight of the damaging and lasting impact that the crimes that we witnessed have had on victims, their families and our communities. It was harrowing to watch, and it is not acceptable. The zero-tolerance message that we sent out over the summer is vital. We need to keep driving home the fact that we are not going to accept that behaviour in this place that we call home. We say no to intolerance and hatred. We have to do everything that we can to ensure that we celebrate the richness of the diversity of the people who have made here their home, and those who were born here. We very much want to have it in our community.

Mr Speaker

We now move to topical questions.