An almost doubling of the number of reports of domestic abuse received by the Housing Executive has been condemned as a “damning indictment on our society”.
Stormont Communities Minister Gordon Lyons said a decrease in reports of intimidation was recorded in the period, from 2014 to 2014.
The reports were made to the Housing Executive in terms of the points system.
The system determines the position on the waiting list of those who apply for housing in Northern Ireland. Points are awarded under four categories according to housing need.
Stormont Communities Minister Gordon Lyons (Liam McBurney/PA)
Mr Lyons was asked about the system during questions for his department in the Assembly chamber on Monday by DUP MLA Deborah Erskine.
She asked for the number of reports of both intimidation and domestic violence.
Mr Lyons said from 2014 to 2024, cases due to intimidation fell from 380 in that year to 226 last year.
However he revealed that domestic abuse cases significantly increased over the same period, which he described as a challenge for both the Stormont Executive and society.
“Domestic abuse cases rose from 721 in 2014 to 1,146 in 2024,” he told MLAs.
“That is a damning indictment on our society that in that sector alone, in social housing, the total number of reported cases were 1,146.
“It’s very clear that there is wider work for this Executive and for society as a whole to do to tackle this issue.”