§ Mr. Fittasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will publish in the Official Report the formula used when applying means tests for services provided under the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons (Northern Ireland) Act 1978.
§ Mr. CarterNo uniform system is used by health and social services boards to determine the level of financial assistance towards housing adaptations but the Department of Health and Social Services is reviewing this.
Where a charge is made for holiday accommodation in a statutory home ability to pay is assessed in accordance with part III of schedule 2 to the Supplementary Benefits Act (Northern Ireland) 1966 but the assessed charge is then reduced to take account of continuing expenses in the person's own home.
Households with sufficient income are liable to pay a charge towards the costs of the home help services. I have arranged for a copy of the scheme, which shows the method of accessing the charge, to be placed in the Library.
A sub-committee of the central personal social services advisory committee has recently produced two reports on the home help service in Northern Ireland. 82W The Department of Health and Social Services has circulated both these reports to interested bodies for their views on the main recommendations made in the reports; one recommendation is that in future the home help service should be provided free of charge to all, regardless of their income. I have arranged for copies of these reports to be placed in the Library.
§ Mr. Fittasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people have been refused help under the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons (Northern Ireland) Act 1978 because of the operation of a means test.
§ Mr. CarterThe home help service and help with holidays are not refused because of the operation of a means test although a charge may be made for these services. Information about the number of people who decline a service on these grounds or who are refused help with the cost of a housing adaptation is not readily available and could not be obtained without disproportionate cost.
§ Mr. Fittasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland for which of the services provided under section 2 of the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons (Northern Ireland) Act 1978 it is the policy of his Department to subject an applicant to a means test; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. CarterHousehold means are taken into account in assessing applications for the home help service, for help with the cost of housing adaptations and of holidays in certain statutory homes. No other services provided under Section 2 of the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons (Northern Ireland) Act 1978 involve a means test.
A sub-committee of the central personal social services advisory committee has recently produced two reports on the home help service in Northern Ireland. The Department of Health and Social Services has circulated both these reports to interested bodies for their views on the main recommendations made in the reports; one recommendation is that in future the home help service should be provided free of charge to all, regardless of their income. I have arranged for copies of these Reports to be placed in the Library.
83W
§ Mr. McNamaraasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many persons excluded from Great Britain under the provisions of the Prevention of Terrorism (Northern Ireland) Act have been sent to Northern Ireland; and how many have been subsequently detained or charged with offences in Northern Ireland.
§ Mr. MasonAs at 21 March 1979, 125 persons excluded from Great Britain had been removed to Northern Ireland under the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act 1974 and 1976, 15 of whom were detained on arrival. Of these, 14 were subsequently released after questioning and one was charged with offences committed in Northern Ireland.
§ Mr. McNamaraasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many persons have been detained in Northern Ireland under the provisions of the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act; how many have subsequently been charged with offences; and with what offences they have been charged.
§ Mr. MasonAs at 21 March 1979, 590 persons had been held in Northern Ireland under the Provisions of the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Acts 1974 and 1976. A total of 290 of these persons were subsequently charged with the following offences:
Murder 105 Attempted murder 38 Conspiracy to murder 7 Explosives offences 63 Conspiracy to cause explosions 8 Firearms offences 59 Membership of a proscribed organisation 51 Burglary 1 Robbery 5 Offences against the person 4 Unlawful collection of information 6 Theft 8 Hijacking 8 False imprisonment 8 Malicious damage 1 Taking part in an illegal procession1 1 Withholding information 5 Intimidation 1 Arson 1 Conspiracy to pervert and obstruct the course of justice 14 Kidnapping 3 Some of the 290 were charged with more than one offence.
§ Mr. McNamaraasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many 84W persons have been charged under the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act in Northern Ireland; and under which section of the Act.
§ Mr. MasonAs at 21 March 1979, 33 persons had been charged. Four persons have been charged under section 9— failure to comply with an exclusion order; four under section 10—contributions towards acts of terrorism, and 25 under section 11—withholding information about acts of terrorism.
§ Mr. McNamaraasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) how many persons have been excluded from Northern Ireland under the provisions of the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act; and how many have been sent to Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland;
(2) how many people have been excluded from Northern Ireland under the terms of the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act.
§ Mr. MasonAs at 21 March 1979, five persons had been removed from Northern Ireland. All were sent to the Republic of Ireland in pursuance of orders excluding them from the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. McNamaraasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people from Northern Ireland have been excluded and subsequently been charged with breaking an exclusion order under the provisions of the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act.
§ Mr. MasonAs at 21 March 1979 no residents of Northern Ireland had been charged in Northern Ireland with breaking an exclusion order either from Northern Ireland or the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. McNamaraasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people from the Republic of Ireland have been excluded from Northern Ireland under the terms of the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act and subsequently charged with breaking an exclusion order.
§ Mr. MasonAs at 21 March 1979, no person from the Republic of Ireland had been charged in Northern Ireland with breaking an order excluding them from 85W Northern Ireland. Four such persons have been charged within Northern Ireland with breaking an order excluding them from the United Kingdom.