§ Mr. McGradyTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the budgetary allocation to Housing Executive grants offices; and if he will make a statement on the measures he will take to deal with the financial deficit faced by such offices and delays in processing applications for home improvement grants. [38810]
§ Mr. MossNone. The Northern Ireland Housing Executive is responsible for the allocation of its financial resources among its regional and district offices. I have, however, increased the overall resources available to the Housing Executive by £18 million during the 1995–96 financial year, bringing the total to £544 million. The chief executive of the Housing Executive has informed me that, in response to the very high demand for grant aid, an additional £8 million has been directed to support the grants budget, bringing the total to £42 million. Due to this continued demand the Housing Executive has prioritised the issue of grant approvals with precedence being given to applications relating to disabled facilities grants, repairs grants, minor works assistance for the elderly and replacement grants which have an element of adaption for the disabled.