To ask the Minister for Communities to detail (i) the average waiting times for (a) assessment; (b) approval; and (c) completion of, housing adaptations for people diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease; and (ii) whether his Department has carried out any assessment of whether the current process meets the needs of those living with rapidly progressing conditions.

(i) (a,b,c) This issue is an operational matter for the Northern Ireland Housing Executive, they have advised me as follows: ‘We do not hold data on anyone’s medical condition, the information we get from the Health Trust is about the housing need to meet the persons need and it does not contain the medical diagnosis.’ Therefore, it is not possible to provide the information requested, as neither my Department nor the Northern Ireland Housing Executive holds data on applicants’ medical diagnoses.

(ii) I recognise that there are exceptional cases, including those involving rapidly progressing conditions, where prioritisation may be appropriate, while ensuring fairness and equity across all applicants. The NIHE is currently piloting an accelerated process for delivering housing adaptations in such exceptional cases across all tenures. This pilot forms part of a wider review of NIHE-administered Private Sector Grants being led by my Department. The findings from this review will inform policy proposals, which I intend to bring forward for public consultation later this year.