HC Deb 04 November 1997 vol 300 cc176-7W
Mr. McGrady

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many applications have been made to each regional division of the Housing Executive for each type of improvement grant; if she will indicate the length of time taken to process a grant application; and how long an applicant has to wait within each division for an inspection of property from the time of submission of an application form. [12554]

Mr. Murphy

This is a matter for the Northern Ireland Housing Executive. The chief executive has advised me that the information requested is as follows, in respect of the period April to September 1997:

Region Number of preliminary inquiries received1 Average time for inspection—weeks2 Average time taken to process—weeks3
Belfast 1,296 16 29
North East 850 28 29
South East 596 52 25
South 616 79 31
West 1,062 72 32
1 The grants scheme requires the completion of a preliminary inquiry form. This is not an application, but is the "trigger" for an inspection of a property. Figures are not held by grant type.
2 These figures represent the average time lapse between receipt of a preliminary enquiry and the date of inspection and only relate to the main "improvement" (i.e. renovation and replacement grants).
3 These figures represent the average time lapse between the date of inspection and the date of approval for a full application for renovation or replacement grant.

The executive regularly reviews performance standards across its regions and has allocated additional resources to those regions where inspection times are particularly lengthy. Present performance is influenced by the backlog of applications which exists due to unprecedented demand for grants. It is anticipated that performance standards will improve as the benefit of additional resources takes effect. In addition, performance on renovation and replacement grants has been severely effected by the diversion of financial and personnel resources to the administration of repairs grants. These grants are mandatory, on foot of public health notices issued by local councils. Recent years have seen an unprecedented demand for this grant. Very recent legislative changes have led to a significant reduction in repair grant applications. There are already signs of small improvements in performance on other grants as the impact of this reduction takes effect.