Vol. 504 No. 2
214 Cecilia Keaveney asked the Minister for Health and Children the new schemes or increased funding, if any, made to existing schemes to celebrate the year of the elderly; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11413/99]
The United Nations International Year of Older Persons 1999 is being managed in this country by a national steering committee based at 58 Fitzwilliam Square, Dublin 2. I have provided specific funding for the organisation of the year and, in advertisements which appeared some weeks ago in the national daily newspapers, details were given of how interested groups could apply for financial support for local, regional and national projects. A calendar of events is available from the national steering committee.
In regard to health services for older people, the Government has provided additional on-going revenue funding of £25 million in 1999 across a range of services. This is, by far, the largest allocation of additional revenue funding ever provided in any one year. An additional £9.95 million was allocated for the nursing home subvention scheme, £4.5 million for the home help service, £1 million for the support of carers, £800,000 for the recruitment of additional paramedical and nursing staff to improve the home care of older people, £1.45 million for the opening of new units, £3 million for the further development of specialist assessment units for older people, £300,000 to allow four additional physicians in the medicine of older age to be recruited and £500,000 to continue the programme of developing consultant led psychiatry of old age services.
