The Department for Communities and its arms-length bodies hold no contracts with Mears Group and have provided no funding to the company. Minister Gordon Lyons gave this confirmation in response to questions from Upper Bann MLA Jonathan Buckley.

Mears Group received contracts from the UK Home Office in 2019 to provide asylum accommodation and support. These included responsibility for housing asylum seekers in Northern Ireland using private rentals or hotels while claims are processed.

Buckley asked the minister whether his department or arms-length bodies supplied any funding to Mears Group over the past five years. This included grants, contracts, programme funding or delivery costs.

Minister Lyons stated that no such funding occurred. He specified that neither the department nor its arms-length bodies provided money to the company in that period.

The MLA also requested details of any current contracts between the department, its arms-length bodies, and Mears Group. He sought information on contract values, start dates and durations.

Minister Lyons replied that no live contracts exist with Mears Group.