§ Mr. Clifford Forsytheasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what criteria are used in assessing whether requests for repairs by the Northern Ireland Housing Executive should be categorised as (a) essential or (b) non-essential; and at what level of qualifications such decisions are taken within the Northern Ireland Housing Executive.
§ Mr. Chris Patten[pursuant to his reply, 19 July 1985, c. 287–8]: This is a matter for the chairman of the Housing Executive who has advised me that district office staff are supplied with a list of typical repairs which indicates the category into which each item should normally be placed. This is a guideline only and the district office staff apply it with discretion in the light of their assessment of what is essential or non-essential in an individual case. Categorisation decisions are checked by district maintenance officers.
§ Mr. Clifford Forsythasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) how many of the category C repairs that have been reported in the Northern Ireland Housing Executive's Antrim district area are subject to a planned maintenance scheme; and how many such schemes have been initiated in this area in the last three years;
(2) how many of the category C repairs, that have been reported in the Northern Ireland Housing Executive's number 2 Newtownabbey district area are subject to a planned maintenance scheme; and how many such schemes have been initiated in this area in the last three years.
§ Mr. Chris Patten[pursuant to his reply, 19 July 1985, c. 287–8]: These are matters for the chairman of the Housing Executive who has advised me that the information is not readily available in the form requested and could be compiled only at disproportionate cost. The 681W number of planned maintenance schemes initiated in the Antrim and Newtownabbey No. 2 districts in the last three years was as follows:
Antrim Newtownabbey No. 2 1982–83 12 schemes involving 1,530 dwellings 13 schemes involving 1,589 dwellings 1983–84 10 schemes involving 2,175 dwellings 9 schemes involving 1,666 dwellings 1984–85 31 schemes involving 4,304 dwellings 20 schemes involving 2,461 dwellings