asked the Minister for Health what plans there are to provide institutional residential accommodation for mentally retarded children.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Mentally Retarded Children.
52.
When dealing with my Department's Estimates on 23rd February, 1967, I explained to the House that the total number of places in the residential institutions at the end of December, 1966 was 3,600. Since that date 250 places have been added and there are at present plans for the provision of a further 750 places. These extra places are, in the main, being provided by way of extensions to existing institutions for the care of the mentally handicapped. The present proposals are intended to meet the requirements of the severely and moderately handicapped, whose needs I feel demand a degree of priority.
(Cavan): Could the Minister give us any idea when these further places will be available, and would he bear in mind that this is a problem which is inflicting very considerable hardship on a great number of families throughout the country, and that the position at the moment appears to be hopeless in that there seems to be a waiting time of anything up to two or three years before these unfortunate children can be institutionalised?
The Minister recently, I notice, gave particulars to the Dáil of the number of beds and the places in which it has been arranged to have them provided. Some of these are in progress and some are nearing completion. Already this year the Minister has opened a 40-bed unit at Peamount and a 50-bed unit at Beaufort, County Kerry. The other institutions planned are at Limerick, Cork, Monasterevan, Westmeath, Kildare, Sligo, Dublin, Waterford and Roscrea, involving the provision of 752 further beds.
(Cavan): Would the Minister agree that there is an acute problem which should be tackled immediately?
Nobody is disagreeing about the problem.