asked the Minister for Health if he is aware of the urgent need for the provision of adequate accommodation and education facilities for mentally retarded children in County Mayo; and what steps he proposes to take to remedy this situation.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Mayo Mentally Handicapped Children.
16.
Residential accommodation is not provided on a county basis and the special centres accept children from all areas.
There are at present schemes, under construction or in planning, which will provide about 1,500 places in the special residential centres for the mentally handicapped over the next few years. This programme of building, which includes 360 additional places in Galway and Sligo, will, when completed, meet the target set by the Commission of Inquiry on Mental Handicap for residential accommodation for severely and moderately handicapped persons in need of such care.
There are at present some 165 mentally handicapped children and adults from Mayo residing in the special centres and I have recently recognised for capitation rate purposes a small new residential unit established by the Western Care Association at St. Clare's, Castlebar, for the care of severely handicapped children.
The question of educational facilities is one for the Minister for Education but I understand that there is a special day school at St. Anthony's, Castlebar, catering for some 80-90 mildly mentally handicapped children and that agreement has been reached for the building of further similar schools at Ballina and at Sligo.
Is the Minister aware that there is still a very large waiting list in Mayo, that voluntary bodies in the county are doing very useful work trying to help these children, and despite that parents are still very worried about the children who cannot get accommodation in institutions? Could the Minister give the House an assurance that something will be done to ease the position and ease it more speedily than is being done at present?
We are making progress in this matter year by year and as the Deputy knows the Western Care Association propose to provide a hostel in Ballina for some 20 children at a cost of about £24,000. I am prepared to give capitation grants for these children. The actual number of places now available for handicapped persons from Mayo represents 4 per cent of all the beds in the country and Mayo's population is 4 per cent of the country's population so that there is no disregard of the needs of Mayo as compared with other counties.
(Cavan): In view of the fact that the Minister says he is not dealing with this matter on a county basis will he agree that over the country as a whole there is a waiting period which runs into years? Does he agree that is unreasonable?
The question relates to County Mayo.
(Cavan): The Minister for Health widened the question by saying he did not deal with it on a regional basis——
The Deputy who put down the question did not ask for that.
(Cavan): I am in order, arising out of the Minister's reply, because the Minister proceeded to deal with the matter on a national basis. We agree that on a national basis there is a delay of years in these cases and something should be done to shorten that delay. Something in the nature of a crash programme in this very personal sphere is necessary to deal with the problem.
I have made it perfectly clear on many occasions in this House, and I have been absolutely frank about it, that it will take two or three years to complete this programme in relation to the planning by the religious orders who are doing most of this work and the training of teachers and the designing and erection of the buildings. I can give no assurance that any crash programme would be possible having regard to the organisations doing this work for us, who are dedicated and devoted people.
(Cavan): It is several years since the Minister told us that. It is a disgrace.
If the Deputy asks about the number of beds provided in each of the past four years he will find that every year we provide 150, 250 or 350 more places. The programme is continuing and the waiting list was far greater five years ago than it is now.
(Cavan): I know parents who have been waiting for six or seven years. It is a disgrace.
Would the Minister tell us on what basis mentally retarded children are selected for admission to institutions in County Mayo? The accommodation is limited but some parents in County Mayo, to which the question relates, are, I am sure, unable to get their children admitted to homes even though their classification may be more acute than some of those admitted. I should like to know what is the position in Mayo so far as the selection of children for admission is concerned.
Children are assessed by psychiatrists and psychologists who place them in one of the three groups, mildly handicapped, moderately handicapped or severely handicapped. As places become available they are admitted by the institutions concerned which have waiting lists.
What say does the Minister have, a Minister for Health, in the matter of admissions?
I could not interfere with decisions made by the Orders.
Does the Minister visualise any problem about staffing these institutions when they are provided?
That is one of the difficulties in relation to the areas in which they are placed. We must make quite sure that if proposals are made for an institution it will be in an area where suitable staff can be obtained, because in the case of severely and moderately handicapped children the staff must operate on a 24-hour basis. Therefore, we must have regard to the staffing position.