asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answer by Lord Rooker on 19 December (WA 292), whether the lack of provision to meet the needs of persons with severe mental and physical impairment in the Northern Ireland draft planning policy statement of 16 March (PPS14) amounts to discrimination. [HL1113]

While draft planning policy statement 14 does not have any specific policies for persons with severe mental and physical impairment, it is felt that their needs are largely addressed by policy HOU16 (House Extensions) in A Planning Strategy for Rural Northern Ireland. This allows for house extensions to provide partially self-contained accommodation for elderly or dependent relatives. Draft PPS14 and its equality impact assessment have been subject to consultation and this issue will be reconsidered in the preparation of the final policy.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answer by Lord Rooker on 19 December (WA 292), whether exclusive reliance on policy HOU16 (House Extensions) of A Planning Strategy for Rural Northern Ireland inhibits persons with severe mental or physical impairment from achieving maximum potential independence. [HL1114]

Policy HOU16 (House Extensions) allows for house extensions to provide partially self-contained accommodation for elderly or dependent relatives. Exclusive reliance is not placed on this policy as the Planning Service is required to assess planning applications fully against all relevant plans and policies. This issue has been raised in the consultation on draft PPS14 and will be reconsidered in the preparation of the final policy.