Mr. McCradyTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will implement the recommendation of the Steering Group of the Joint Fundamental Review of the Housing Adaptations Service on the abolition of the means test in relation to disabled children and their families. [85397]
§ Mr. BrowneThe means test is an essential tool to allow the Northern Ireland Housing Executive to target grant towards those most in need. Any such exemption would seriously undermine the ability of the Housing Executive to target resources effectively. I will shortly be setting up a Working Group to review the means test to ensure that disabled children are not disadvantaged by it.