§ Mr. Fittasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he is satisfied with the provision in Northern Ireland of those services which in the rest of Great Britain are provided under Section 2 of the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. CarterThe development of these services has been affected by constraints on resources and I shall not be satisfied with the level of their provision until more has been done to identify those in need and to meet their needs. However, as I indicated in reply to a previous Question on 9th November—[Vol. 938, c. 148]—plans to carry out a comprehensive survey of the handicapped throughout Northern Ireland are at an advanced stage, and additional resources of £2264W million are to be made available over the next four years to enable health and social services boards to build up their community and domiciliary services, especially those provided for the handicapped. The only constraint on action in this field is lack of resources; no additional legislation is required.