Mr. Wm. Rossasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list in the Official Report the total number of (a) registered and (b) unregistered physically disabled persons in Northern Ireland; if he will sub-divide these persons into the various forms of disability, such as blindness, limbless, and deafness; how many in each category are under 18 years of age; how many females are over 60 years of age; and how many males are over 65 years of age.
528Wif he will show the number for each year for each police division or county.
§ Mr. Mason,pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 12th June 1978], gave the following information:
Figures for punishment shootings have been maintained since 1973 and relate to Belfast, Londonderry and the remainder of Northern Ireland, as follows:
§ Mr. Carter,pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 12th June 1978] gave the following information:
On 30th September 1977, the latest date for which figures are available, there were 11,490 physically disabled persons in Northern Ireland registered as disabled with the Department of Manpower Services. This figure included 53 persons under 18 years of age. A breakdown of these figures by nature of disability is shown below. As registration normally expires at pensionable age separate records of registered disabled persons who have attained pensionable age and maintained registration are not available.
Since registration is voluntary, the total number of disabled persons in Northern Ireland undoubtedly exceeds this number. At 31st December 1976, the social services departments of the four Northern Ireland health and social services boards were in contact with 14,010 physically handicapped people, made up of 3,659 blind and partially sighted, 1,573 deaf and hard of hearing and 8,778 other physically handicapped people.
To improve the information available, the Department of Health and Social Services has commissioned "Outset", a charitable body with experience of surveys of handicapped people in Great Britain, to conduct a comprehensive survey of every household in Northern Ireland. This project has already begun and 529W when completed should give greater and more reliable information on the num-
530W
Nature of disability Total Under 18 years of age Amputation … 518 Arthritis and Rheumatism … 562 Diseases of the Digestive System … 463 Diseases of the Genito-Urinary System … 125 1 Diseases of the Heart and Circulatory System … 1,364 2 Diseases of the Respiratory System (other than Tuberculosis) … 739 1 Diseases of the Skin and Cellular Tissue … 197 Ear Defects (Deaf and Hard of Hearing) … 659 11 Blind and Partially Sighted Persons … 881 3 Injuries, Diseases and Deformities of the Spine and Limbs … 3,957 14 Organic Nervous Diseases … 844 13 Tuberculosis … 346 1 Other General Diseases and Injuries … 835 7 TOTAL … 11,490 53 bers of handicapped people in the Province.