§ Mr. Bradfordasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what are the statutory provisions under which families of special category prisoners in Northern Ireland are receiving financial assistance in respect of electricity and gas accounts; and how many families are in receipt of such assistance, giving the total amount involved.
§ Mr. CarterThe families of special category prisoners are entitled to the same financial assistance on the same terms as all other families in the United Kingdom.
There are no provisions, statutory or otherwise, for special financial assistance to the families of special category prisoners, and as these families are not distinguishable from other beneficiaries the Northern Ireland Department of Health and Social Services has no means of identifying the numbers involved.