HC Deb 06 March 1980 vol 980 cc339-41W
Mr. Wm. Ross

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list in the Official Report the sums expended by each health and social services board in Northern Ireland for each council district in each of the last three years on the provision of telephones for the handi

HOUSEHOLDS RECEIVING HELP WITH THE COST OF INSTALLING AND RENTING TELEPHONES
Telephone installations Telephone rentals Total expenditure (£)
Board/District 1977 1978 1977 1978 1977 1978
Eastern Health and Social Services Board
East Belfast and Castlereagh … … 6 86 8 30 2,884 6,132
North and West Belfast … … 26 99 26 111 1,480 7,884
South Belfast … … 4 30 4 30 532 2,039
Down … … 1 27 1 6 61 738
North Down and Ards … … — 19 — 39 405 2,303
Lisburn … … 1 56 1 14 425 1,357
Total … … 38 317 40 230 5,787 20,453
Northern Health and Social Services Board
Ballymena and Antrim … … 14 39 20 34 1,505 2,007
Coleraine, Ballymoney and Moyle … 1 122 — 144 210 7,313
Magherafelt and Cookstown … … 17 78 15 55 140 3,656
Larne and Carrickfergus … … — 32 — 23 241 1,513
Newtownabbey … … 3 42 1 67 136 2,998
Total … … 35 313 36 323 2,232 17,487
Southern Health and Social Services Board
Armagh and Dungannon … … 14 37 14 38 1,224 3,897
Craigavon and Banbridge … … 2 1 3 2 178 396
Newry and Mourne … … 2 32 1 34 72 2,656
Total … … 18 70 18 74 1,474 6,949
Western Health and Social Services Board
Londonderry, Limavady and Strabane … … 67 101 42 125 3,806 5,590
Omagh … … 3 4 2 5 97 205
Fermanagh … … 30 37 41 53 1,187 2,245
Total … … 100 142 85 183 5,090 8,040

the five education boards and of the Department of Education is represented by expenditure on teachers' salaries and associated costs and on the salaries and wages and associated costs of the board and departmental personnel, for each year since 1972.

Mr. Goodhart

The information is as follows:

capped, specifying for each area the number of telephones provided for each year, and indicating when in each year the sums allocated were expended, and the waiting list remaining at the end of each month and at the present time.

Mr. Alison

Figures for 1979 are not yet available. Information for 1977 and 1978 is as follows:

Information about waiting lists is not held centrally, but the Department of Health and Social Services has been informed that there were no waiting lists for help with telephone installation or rental costs in 1977 or 1978. In June 1978 the criteria for receiving help were widened. This led to an increase in demand, and the Northern Health and Social Services Board opened a waiting list. At the end of 1979, the numbers on the Northern board's list were as follows:

Number of Applicants on Waiting Lists
Ballymena and Antrim Nil
Coleraine, Ballymoney and Moyle 131
Magherafelt and Cookstown 82
Larne and Carrickfergus 8
Newtownabbey 25
Total: 246

£ million
1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 Total
Roads … … 0.3 0.5 1.5 0.3 1.7 4.3
Airport … … — — — — 1.9 1.9
Harbours … … — 0.1 0.2 0.5 0.4 1.2
7.4

A loan of £15 million was received from the European Investment Bank in 1979 for road schemes.