§ Mrs. Iris RobinsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the waiting time is for the processing of applications for adaptations to homes for disabled people; and what is being done to speed up the process. [82026]
§ Mr. BrowneThe time scale for having applications completed varies depending on the nature and scale of the work required. For Northern Ireland Housing Executive properties 50 per cent, of urgent heating cases are completed within 17 weeks while in non urgent cases 96 per cent, are completed in 52 weeks. In private sector cases it issues schedules of work in 82 per cent, of cases within 12 weeks of inspection and approves 97 per cent, of cases within six months of receipt of a completed formal application form. The times scales are influenced by factors such as having plans drawn up and approved as well as the need to have an assessment carried out to determine the needs of the disabled person.
For its own properties the Housing Executive and the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety have jointly carried out a review of the adaptation service. Significant progress has been made in reducing the requirement for assessment by the occupational therapy service through increased use of fast tracking and waiting times are expected to be reduced by the recruitment of additional Occupational Therapists (17 have been recruited). For private sector cases, the Housing Executive is setting up a working group to examine ways of improving the applications process and in the longer term, the new housing legislation will allow for fast tracking on agreement with the Occupational Therapy Service.
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