§ Mr. Bellasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) what provisions are being made for the Northern Ireland Housing Executive waiting list in light of the £44 million cutback in the 1986–87 housing budget;
(2) what efforts are being taken to eliminate the 10.4 per cent. of housing in Northern Ireland deemed statutorily unfit by the Northern Ireland Housing Executive.
§ Mr. NeedhamI refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to his question about housing finance in Northern Ireland on 29 January 1986. Measures to meet housing need and to improve housing conditions in Northern Ireland will continue to include new housebuilding in the private sector, including shared ownership under the co-ownership scheme, new housebuilding and improvements of existing dwellings by the Northern Ireland Housing Executive and by housing associations, and improvements in the private sector with the assistance of house renovation grants.
§ Mr. Bellasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what effect the £44 million cutback in the 1986–87 housing budget will have on jobs in the construction industry.
§ Mr. NeedhamI refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to his question about jobs in the construction industry on 29 January 1986 at column544. This remains the position.
§ Mr. Bellasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) how many planned new home constructions will be cancelled due to the £44 million cutback in the 1986–87 housing budget;
(2) how many planned rehabilitation and major home improvement schemes will be cancelled due to the £44 million cutback in the 1986–87 housing budget;
Unemployed claimants in Northern Ireland Number* Unemployment Rate (per cent)† New Claimants‡ Total Males Total Males Total Males December 1985 121,470 88,605 20.9 26.7 10,404 6,545 January 1986 125,705 91,591 21.6 27.6 10,495 6,262 * Figures relate to all unemployed claimants i.e. unemployed people claiming unemployment benefit, supplementary benefit and National Insurance credits.
† The unemployment rate is calculated as the number unemployed as a percentage of employees in employment plus the unemployed.
‡ Figures on new claimants relate to the 4 weeks prior to the count dates on 12.12.85 and 9.1.86.
§ Mr. Bellasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the number of people unemployed in Northern Ireland for (a) more than three months, (b) more than one year and (d) more than two years.
§ Dr. BoysonThe figures are:
188W(3) to what extent improvement work on Northern Ireland Housing Executive homes will be discontinued due to the cutback in the 1986–87 housing budget.
§ Mr. NeedhamI refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to his question about housing finance in Northern Ireland on 29 January 1986 at column544. It is for the Northern Ireland Housing Executive to propose in the first instance how the resources available to it in 1986–87 should be distributed over its capital and revenue programmes. I await the submission of its proposals for approval. Decisions about individual schemes within approved programmes are matters for the Housing Executive.
§ Mr. Bellasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) how many new homes will be built in Northern Ireland by the Housing Executive outside of Belfast in 1986–87;
(2) how many new homes will be built in Northern Ireland by the Housing Executive in 1986–87 in (a) Fermanagh, (b) Cookstown, (c) Omagh and (d) Dungannon council areas.
§ Mr. NeedhamUntil the Housing Executive has completed work on its budgets and programmes for 1986–87 and obtained my Department's approval it will not be possible to provide the information requested. I shall write to the hon. Member when the full details are available from the Housing Executive.