Home | Department for Communities
Source: http://www.communities-ni.gov.uk
Archived: 2026-04-23 15:20
Home | Department for Communities
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Welcome to Department for Communities
Featured
Lyons and Muir announce £8.32m to transform 243 community facilities across Northern Ireland
22 April 2026
Communities Minister Gordon Lyons and Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Minister Andrew Muir have announced £8...
Suspended sentence for benefit fraud at Lisburn Magistrates’ Court
21 April 2026
A man has been convicted at Lisburn Magistrates’ Court for fraudulently claiming over £12,000 in benefits.
Lyons announces agreement for home heating oil support
16 April 2026
Eligible households will be able to apply for a £100 prepaid card that can be used at heating oil suppliers.
Quick links
Subscribe for email updates
Housing Association Guide
Job fairs and events calendar
River notices
PRONI - Public Record Office
Move to Universal Credit
JobApplyNI
Follow us
X
Facebook
Instagram
YouTube
Linkedin
Our responsibilities
Benefits and pensions
To find out more about benefits, pensions, benefit fraud, welfare changes, private pensions and legislation that governs our work
Housing
Social housing providers, reform of social housing, help and advice for private rented and social housing tenants, housing legislation
Support for children
Impartial information about child support maintenance for employers and advisers
Regeneration
Programmes that target social need through social, economic and physical regeneration of cities, towns and villages, local government reform
Sport
Sport strategy, stadiums and sports grounds, sports projects, games legacy and concussion awareness.
Museums and libraries
Libraries NI, National Museums Northern Ireland and the NI Museums Council.
Arts and culture
Arts infrastructure and strategy, the creative industries, community festivals, architecture and built environment.
Languages
The Language Strategies team is responsible for leading on the development and delivery of an Irish Language Strategy and an Ulster-Scots Language, Heritage and Culture Strategy.
Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI)
PRONI is the official archive and record office for Northern Ireland with a statutory remit to receive, preserve and make available public records and privately deposited archives.
Historic environment
Historic Monuments; Historic Buildings; Historic Parks and Gardens; Maritime Heritage; Industrial Heritage; Defence Heritage and Archaeology.
Statistics and research
Statistics and research that help guide the Department on policy, planning and decision making
Voluntary and community
Policy and strategy in the voluntary and community sector, volunteering and community development advice and guidance
Social inclusion
Active Ageing; Anti-Poverty; Disability, Gender Equality; Sexual Orientation; and the Social Inclusion Strategies.
Law and legislation
Information on the law relating to housing, social security and child support, decisions by Commissioners on social security benefits - also information on social law
Employment
The Department can provide both jobseekers and employers with the help and support they need to find employment, gain work experience, or recruit new staff.
Local government
Details of how Local Government & Housing Regulation Division supports councils in delivering strong and effective local government along with information on funding and finances. The Division also maintains the legislative framework for the Local Government Pension Scheme in Northern Ireland.
Appealing a decision
Appealing against decisions made by the Department, including Child Maintenance Service, and also Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE), Land and Property Service (LPS) and Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC).
We work with these bodies
Armagh Observatory and Planetarium
Arts Council NI
Charity Commission NI
Commissioner for Older People NI
Foras na Gaeilge
Libraries NI
Local Government Staff Commission for NI
National Museums NI
NI Museums Council
NI Central Investment Fund for Charities
NI Commission for Children and Young People
NI Local Government Officers Superannuation Committee
Northern Ireland Housing Executive
Office of the Discretionary Support Commissioner
Sport NI
Ulster Scots Agency
Ulster Supported Employment Limited
Vaughan's Charitable Trust
Our documents
Our publications
MAG response to NI Executive Draft Disability Strategy 2025-2035
Published
22 April 2026
Northern Ireland Community Infrastructure Fund - Stage Two application outcomes
Published
22 April 2026
Support Framework for Independent Advice and Debt Services - consultation response
Published
21 April 2026
See all our publications
Our consultations
Consultation on a Bill to amend the Charities Act (Northern Ireland) 2008
Closes 24 April 2026
Consultation on Amendments to the Landlord Registration Scheme Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2014
Closes 27 April 2026
Trust-based pension schemes: Trustees and governance, building a stronger future
Consultation closed
See all our consultations
Access to information
How to request information from the Department for Communities including
Freedom of Information (FOI)
and the use of our
Publication Scheme
. You may also request your own personal information, via a
Right of Access Request
.
The Minister
Gordon Lyons MLA
Gordon Lyons MLA was appointed as the Minister for Communities on 3 February 2024.
About us
The Department has strategic responsibility for equality, anti-poverty, sports, arts and culture, languages, finding employment, historic environment, housing, regeneration, benefits and pensions, community and voluntary sector development, social legislation and child support
Read more about the department
Corporate information
Corporate reports
Customer service
DfC privacy notice
Equality
Public appointments
Contact us
Department for Communities
Causeway Exchange
1-7 Bedford Street
Belfast
County Antrim
BT2 7EG
Telephone: 028 9082 9000
Alternatively contact us using our
feedback form
.
See all contacts
Skip to main content
Translation help
Translate this page
Select a language
Arabic —
عربي
Chinese (Simplified) —
中文简体
Chinese (Traditional) —
中文繁體
Dutch —
Nederlands
Filipino —
Filipino
French —
Français
German —
Deutsch
Hungarian —
Magyar
Irish —
Gaeilge
Italian —
Italiano
Latvian —
Latviešu
Lithuanian —
Lietuvių kalba
Polish —
Polski
Portuguese —
Português
Romanian —
Română
Russian —
Русский
Slovak —
Slovenčina
Spanish —
Español
Ukrainian —
Українська
Welcome to Department for Communities
Featured
Lyons and Muir announce £8.32m to transform 243 community facilities across Northern Ireland
22 April 2026
Communities Minister Gordon Lyons and Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Minister Andrew Muir have announced £8...
Suspended sentence for benefit fraud at Lisburn Magistrates’ Court
21 April 2026
A man has been convicted at Lisburn Magistrates’ Court for fraudulently claiming over £12,000 in benefits.
Lyons announces agreement for home heating oil support
16 April 2026
Eligible households will be able to apply for a £100 prepaid card that can be used at heating oil suppliers.
Quick links
Subscribe for email updates
Housing Association Guide
Job fairs and events calendar
River notices
PRONI - Public Record Office
Move to Universal Credit
JobApplyNI
Follow us
X
YouTube
Our responsibilities
Benefits and pensions
To find out more about benefits, pensions, benefit fraud, welfare changes, private pensions and legislation that governs our work
Housing
Social housing providers, reform of social housing, help and advice for private rented and social housing tenants, housing legislation
Support for children
Impartial information about child support maintenance for employers and advisers
Regeneration
Programmes that target social need through social, economic and physical regeneration of cities, towns and villages, local government reform
Sport
Sport strategy, stadiums and sports grounds, sports projects, games legacy and concussion awareness.
Museums and libraries
Libraries NI, National Museums Northern Ireland and the NI Museums Council.
Arts and culture
Arts infrastructure and strategy, the creative industries, community festivals, architecture and built environment.
Languages
The Language Strategies team is responsible for leading on the development and delivery of an Irish Language Strategy and an Ulster-Scots Language, Heritage and Culture Strategy.
Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI)
PRONI is the official archive and record office for Northern Ireland with a statutory remit to receive, preserve and make available public records and privately deposited archives.
Historic environment
Historic Monuments; Historic Buildings; Historic Parks and Gardens; Maritime Heritage; Industrial Heritage; Defence Heritage and Archaeology.
Statistics and research
Statistics and research that help guide the Department on policy, planning and decision making
Voluntary and community
Policy and strategy in the voluntary and community sector, volunteering and community development advice and guidance
Social inclusion
Active Ageing; Anti-Poverty; Disability, Gender Equality; Sexual Orientation; and the Social Inclusion Strategies.
Law and legislation
Information on the law relating to housing, social security and child support, decisions by Commissioners on social security benefits - also information on social law
Employment
The Department can provide both jobseekers and employers with the help and support they need to find employment, gain work experience, or recruit new staff.
Local government
Details of how Local Government & Housing Regulation Division supports councils in delivering strong and effective local government along with information on funding and finances. The Division also maintains the legislative framework for the Local Government Pension Scheme in Northern Ireland.
Appealing a decision
Appealing against decisions made by the Department, including Child Maintenance Service, and also Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE), Land and Property Service (LPS) and Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC).
We work with these bodies
Armagh Observatory and Planetarium
Arts Council NI
Charity Commission NI
Commissioner for Older People NI
Foras na Gaeilge
Libraries NI
Local Government Staff Commission for NI
National Museums NI
NI Museums Council
NI Central Investment Fund for Charities
NI Commission for Children and Young People
NI Local Government Officers Superannuation Committee
Northern Ireland Housing Executive
Office of the Discretionary Support Commissioner
Sport NI
Ulster Scots Agency
Ulster Supported Employment Limited
Vaughan's Charitable Trust
Our documents
Our publications
MAG response to NI Executive Draft Disability Strategy 2025-2035
Published
22 April 2026
Northern Ireland Community Infrastructure Fund - Stage Two application outcomes
Published
22 April 2026
Support Framework for Independent Advice and Debt Services - consultation response
Published
21 April 2026
See all our publications
Our consultations
Consultation on a Bill to amend the Charities Act (Northern Ireland) 2008
Closes 24 April 2026
Consultation on Amendments to the Landlord Registration Scheme Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2014
Closes 27 April 2026
Trust-based pension schemes: Trustees and governance, building a stronger future
Consultation closed
See all our consultations
Access to information
How to request information from the Department for Communities including
Freedom of Information (FOI)
and the use of our
Publication Scheme
. You may also request your own personal information, via a
Right of Access Request
.
The Minister
Gordon Lyons MLA
Gordon Lyons MLA was appointed as the Minister for Communities on 3 February 2024.
About us
The Department has strategic responsibility for equality, anti-poverty, sports, arts and culture, languages, finding employment, historic environment, housing, regeneration, benefits and pensions, community and voluntary sector development, social legislation and child support
Read more about the department
Corporate information
Corporate reports
Customer service
DfC privacy notice
Equality
Public appointments
Contact us
Department for Communities
Causeway Exchange
1-7 Bedford Street
Belfast
County Antrim
BT2 7EG
Telephone: 028 9082 9000
Alternatively contact us using our
feedback form
.
See all contacts