§ Mr. Fittasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) 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;
(2) 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;
(3) 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. Humphrey AtkinsHousehold means are taken into account in assessing applications for help with the cost of housing adaptations, holidays in certain statutory homes and the home help service, but the assessment scheme in respect of the last is under review.
No uniform system is used by health and social services boards to determine the level of financial assistance towards housing adaptations and this is also under review. Information about the number of people who are refused help in this respect is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Households with sufficient income are liable to pay a charge towards the cost of the home help service. A copy of the scheme, which shows the method of assessing the charge, is available in the 440W Library. No person has been refused the home help service because of the operation of a means test and this service is offered to any household where it is required. The householder has the choice of accepting or rejecting the service at the assessed charge.
Where a charge is made for holiday accommodation in a statutory home, ability to pay is assessed in accordance with part III of schedule 1 to the Supplementary Benefits (Northern Ireland) Order 1977, but the assessed charge is then reduced to take account of continuing expenses in the person's own home. Help with holidays is not refused because of the operation of a means test, although a charge may be made.
§ Mr. Fittasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the provision of services to handicapped people since the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons (Northern Ireland) Act 1978 came into operation.
§ Mr. Humphrey AtkinsThis Act came into operation on 29 December 1978, except for section 14 which came into operation on 31 October 1979. It is still too early to assess the full value of the legislation in Northern Ireland.
§ Mr. Fittasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many handicapped people have been identified to date in the OUTSET survey; and what is his estimate of their need for the provision of services under the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons (Northern Ireland) Act 1978; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Humphrey AtkinsFieldwork for the survey was completed earlier this year but only four of the 19 reports on its findings have so far been published. These are the introductory stage one report and the reports for three health and social services districts. The remaining district reports will be published over the next few months followed by a final report in 1981.