§ Mr. Beggsasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps the Northern Ireland Housing Executive takes to monitor the performance of its contractors; what sanction it applies in cases where a contractor fails to meet the required standards or fails to carry out the terms of his contract; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Chris PattenThis is a matter for the chairman of the Housing Executive who has informed me that there is a named supervisory officer for each contract. Standards of workmanship are set at the outset of a contract and the performance of contractors is assessed regularly. The Housing Executive also monitors its programme monthly in terms of progress of works and expenditure. Contractors failing to meet the standard or failing to carry out the terms of their contracts may be suspended or removed from the approved list of contractors and may face the termination of their contracts.