§ 34. Mr. Stratton Millsasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the interdepartmental working party which has been examining the possibility of aiding owner-occupiers; and if he will indicate the date on which the report was received by him.
§ Mr. David HowellThe working party, whose report was received in early February, recommends the introduction of a scheme for the Northern Ireland Housing Executive to carry out a phased programme for the purchase of houses from owner-occupiers, in cases which meet the following criteria:
- 1. the house has been vacated by the owner-occupier for at least six months;
- 2. the house vacated cannot be sold because of the troubles in the area:
- 3. the circumstances in which the house was vacated were such that the owner-occupier could have qualified for inclusion on the emergency housing list operated by the Housing Executive.
The Government have accepted these recommendations. The Housing Executive has been asked to implement the scheme; it will be assisted in this by an advisory committee. Full details of the scheme will be announced by the Housing Executive.