Disability (Hansard, 23 June 1994)

§ Mr. McMaster
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to encourage public sector landlords to provide disabled people with personal housing plans; and if he will make a statement.

§ Mr. Tim Smith
The administration of public sector housing, including assessment of need, is the responsibility of the Northern Ireland Housing Executive. For special needs groups, the Housing Executive co-operates with the relevant health and social services area board to determine the most suitable accommodation and care, including the design or adaptation of dwellings, to meet the pecific needs of the disabled occupant.
The Housing Executive also provides a range of services to disabled people and carries out approximately 7,400 major and minor adaptations per year.

§ Mr. McMaster
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage of Northern Ireland's housing stock is constructed or adapted to meet the needs of physically disabled people at the latest date for which information is available; if he will break this information down into categories of housing tenure; what plans he has to enhance the availability of such housing stock; and if he will make a statement.

§ Mr. Tim Smith
The information is not available in the form requested. I have, however, been advised by the chief 287W executive of the Northern Ireland Housing Executive that the 1991 house condition survey indicates that 80 per cent. of tenures in the owner-occupied, Housing Executive and housing association sectors provided at least level access to one entrance while for the private rented sector the figure is 63 per cent., and 30 per cent. of all tenures provide both level access and all facilities on the same level.
Since 1985 all new Housing Executive and housing association properties have been built to mobility standard on the ground floor to facilitate elderly and disabled people.
The Executive and housing associations normally carry out around 7,500 major and minor adaptations to dwellings each year. The Executive also expects to provide assistance to the private sector through approximately 3,000 applications for disabled facilities grants and minor works grants each year.