§ Mr. Archerasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) what are the total numbers of (a) families, (b) single parent families, (c) single households and (d) people of pensionable age or over living in the Divis flats at present; and what were the respective annual totals in each category from 1968 for the years for which figures are available;
(2) what are the Northern Ireland Housing Executive's estimates for the Divis flats of (a) the total cost of refurbishing the whole complex, (b) the total cost of the combination of refurbishment and demolition currently proposed by the Northern Ireland Housing Executive and (c) the average cost per dwelling, including loan and interest charges, for refurbishment, given a 30-year estimated life span;
(3) how many statutorily unfit dwellings there are in (a) the catchment area for Divis residents and (b) West Belfast as a whole;
(4) how many residents in the Divis flats have been subject to action under the Payments for Debt (Emergency Provisions) Act (Northern Ireland) in each year from 1968 to the present;
(5) what are the current levels of arrears and the number of tenants in arrears in payments for (a) rents, (b) rates and (c) heating by type in the Divis complex and the annual averages from 1968 for the years for which figures are available;
(6) what are the number of (a) illegal tenancies and (b) tenancies for which the Northern Ireland Housing Executive has issued use and occupation books in the Divis complex at the present time; and what are the annual averages of each from 1968 for the years for which figures are available;
(6) what are the figures for the number of dwellings in the Divis complex (a) occupied, (b) underoccupied, (c) overcrowded and (d) vacant at the present time; and what was the annual average in each category from 1968 for the years for which figures are available;
(7) what are the average annual costs from 1968 for the years for which figures are available, of (a) repairs, (b) maintenance and (c) services for the Divis flats, each according to (i) total, (ii) emergency work, (iii) normal work, A list and (iv) planned work, B list;
(8) how many residents of the Divis flats have received (a) certificated housing benefit, (b) housing benefit supplement and (c) standard housing benefit since November 1983; and what are the total amounts in each category paid to Divis residents since the introduction of housing benefit;
(9) what are the Northern Ireland Housing Executive's estimates of (a) total costs and (b) the breakdown of costs for (i) the total demolition of the Divis flats, (ii) the 369W demolition of the two blocks currently under consideration and (iii) the building of two-storey houses to replace the existing flats, inlcuding any land, consultant and other significant costs.
§ Mr. NeedhamThis is a matter for the Northern Ireland Housing Executive. The information is not readily available. I shall reply to the right hon. and learned Member as soon as possible.
§ Mr. Archerasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what are the Northern Ireland Housing Executive's estimates for (a) the number of two-storey houses per acre which will be built on the Divis site if the existing flats were demolished, (b) the total number of two-storey homes which could be built on the site and (c) the costs of any additional land which might need to be purchased to rehouse any part of the present Divis population which could not be accommodated in two-storey houses built on the existing site.
§ Mr. Needham(a) 15; (b) 165; (c) not available.
§ Mr. Archerasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) what are the current average annual costs for (a) maintenance of two-storey dwellings in the state sector in Belfast of the same age as the Divis flats and (b) management of the same;
(2) how many residents of the Divis flats have received rent and rate rebates, heating allowances and other forms of benefit support other than housing benefit since 1968; and what are the total amounts paid to Divis residents in each category since 1968, or for the period for which figures are available;
(3) what types of repair and maintenance work have been carried out by (a) the Northern Ireland Housing Executive and (b) the former Northern Ireland Housing Trust each year since 1968 in the Divis flats, including servicing and other work on lifts, bin chutes and heating systems;
(4) how many repair and maintenance requests, including the self-help scheme, have been made by Divis residents per year since 1968 according to (a) total, (b) emergency work, (c) normal work, A list, and (d) planned work, B list;
(5) what are the average annual costs from 1968, for the years for which figures are available, for management of the Divis flats according to (a) total, (b) emergency work, (c) normal work, A list, and (d) planned work, B list.
§ Mr. NeedhamThe information in the form requested is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
§ Mr. Archerasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people are currently on the waiting list seeking (a) transfer into Divis and (b) transfer out of Divis; what is the breakdown of each list according to the categories used in housing allocation; and what are the average lengths of time spent on each waiting list according to the categories used in housing allocation.
§ Mr. Needham370W
Priority Transfer Ordinary Transfer (a) — 4 (b) 21 173 The rest of the information in the form requested is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
§ Mr. Archerasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what are the figures for the number of dwellings in the Divis complex (a) originally, following completion, (b) after the demolition of the Whitehall and Farsett blocks, and (c) after the projected demolition of two further blocks.
§ Mr. Needham(a) 795 dwellings; (b) 623 dwellings; (c) 536 dwellings.