(AQW 3333/01)

Mr Dodds: The most recent controlled areas inspection in the Carrickfergus area, completed in January 2002, resulted in 49 requests to contractors to remove rubbish. The Housing Executive does not serve Pollution Control Notices, this is a matter for the local district council.

(AQW 3349/01)

Mr Dodds: There is no shortfall in the number of contractors currently available to carry out minor repairs for the Housing Executive. All contracts have contractors currently allocated to them. When contracts expire, contractors go out of business or are forced to cease work in particular areas because of circumstances beyond their control, the Housing Executive appoints "caretaker" contractors to cover necessary work until the situation can be resolved.

(AQW 3350/01)

Mr Dodds: The Housing Executive has a comprehensive monitoring system in place to report on the performance of all its contractors in terms of response times. The report is presented to a monthly meeting of Area Managers for appropriate action.

(AQW 3351/01)

Mr Dodds: During the financial year, April 2001- March 2002, a total of 15,339 maintenance repairs were completed in the Ards Borough Council area.

(AQW 3352/01)

Mr Dodds: During the financial year, April 2001 - March 2002, there were 473,016 response maintenance jobs carried out by the Housing Executive. The breakdown of these jobs and the percentage completed within the published timescales are:

(AQW 3381/01)

Mr Dodds: The Domestic Energy Efficiency Scheme (DEES) ended on 30 June 2001 and in its final year some 17,000 homes had basic insulation measures installed. However, the Domestic Energy Efficiency Scheme did not address the problem of fuel poverty. Consequently it was replaced by the Warm Homes Scheme from July 1 2001 and from then to 31 March 2002, over 4,300 homes received substantial heating and insulation measures to lift householders out of fuel poverty.

The estimated energy savings benefits achieved will vary from household to household, depending on the condition of the dwelling and the measures installed. National Energy Action (NI) has been commissioned to undertake an independent evaluation of the Warm Homes Scheme, which will not only identify the energy saving benefits but also the improvement to health and quality of life.

(AQW 3406/01)

Mr Dodds: The information on the number of applicants who have been assessed for oil-fired central heating and have been waiting more than 6 months is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. The reason for this is because there are a number of schemes within the remit of my Department and the Northern Ireland Housing Executive which provide domestic central heating, but which do not differentiate between oil-fired or natural gas heating.

The numbers who have applied and are waiting for assessment are as follows: -

Information on the Warm homes Scheme is not held in the format requested. However the following table provides the data by postal code areas.

Five hundred and fifty requests have been received and are either awaiting or undergoing assessment.

This information is not readily available in the format requested and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Central heating may also be provided under the Housing Executive’s renovation/replacement grant system. However, the information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

(AQW 3456/01)

Mr Dodds: Paragraph 3.7 of the SPED scheme specifically requires repayment of any discount given under the House Sales Scheme, where a Housing Executive tenant who has bought his home subsequently sells it back within 3 years of purchase.

(AQW 3457/01)

Mr Dodds: The purpose of the Scheme for the Purchase of Evacuated Dwellings (SPED) is to assist owner-occupiers who are forced to leave their dwellings because of threat or intimidation. The Housing Executive has the discretion to acquire houses from owner-occupiers, where they, or any member of their household residing with them, have been threatened or intimidated. Applicants under the Scheme are required to satisfy all of the following conditions:

i. The house must be owner-occupied and must be the applicant’s only or principal home.

ii. A certificate signed by the RUC Chief Constable, or authorised signatory, must be submitted to the Housing Executive, stating clearly that it is unsafe for the applicant or a member of his/her household residing with him/her to continue to live in the house, because that person has been directly or specifically threatened or intimidated and as a result is at risk of serious injury or death.

iii. The applicant must qualify for Full Duty Applicant status (accepted as homeless) under the Housing Executive’s Common Selection Scheme.

Application forms are available from the Housing Executive’s Land & Property Section which is located in the Housing Centre, Belfast.

The numbers of those who have taken up the scheme is not available by constituency but the table below provides the information by Housing Executive District office.

(AQW 3506/01)

Mr Dodds: The criteria which determine whether or not the appointment of an Estate Warden might be a useful estate management measure are the volume and variety of problems, as identified by staff, tenants and other representatives. The introduction and funding of a warden is considered against other competing priorities for expenditure. The local District Manager is responsible for producing operational plans, including the need for estate wardens and, subsequently, agreeing these with the Area Manager.