Mr. Wm Rossasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the total number of persons employed by the Housing Executive in administration; what is the number employed directly by it for repairs, etc. carried out on its property; and what were the totals employed by the former housing authorities and the Northern Ireland Housing Trust in these respective aspects of housing.
§ Mr. Concannon, pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 17th March 1976; Vol. 907, c. 552–3], gave the following answer:
The information requested by the hon. Member relates to matters which are the responsibility of the Northern Ireland Housing Executive, both in its present capacity and as successor to the former Northern Ireland Housing Trust and local housing authorities.
The approval of the Northern Ireland Department of Housing, Local Government and Planning to the employment of staff by the Executive is necessary only for posts in the middle and senior grades; there are currently some 330 of these posts in the administrative, professional and technical grades.
The former Northern Ireland Housing Trust employed about 550 staff in administrative, professional, technical, clerical and typing grades, and about 175 manual workers and cleaners. The numbers of staff employed by the former local housing authorities were not subject to the approval of the former Northern Ireland Ministry of Development.