asked the Minister for Health if he will provide the money for the Eastern Health Board which will enable them to continue their programme of building 30 welfare homes for the aged which they have had to suspend through lack of finance.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Welfare Homes Programme.
19.
I regret that, due to current economic circumstances, I am unable to provide money in the present year for this purpose.
Will the Minister not agree that of any scheme this one should be the last to be hit by the economic climate, no matter how bad it may be? The programme of construction of welfare homes for the aged should not be affected. In any Christian society surely the aged should be looked after first and any cutbacks should not affect a charitable and worth-while programme such as this. It was prepared by the Eastern Health Board; they were working on it and some buildings have already been constructed. Will the Minister not reconsider this matter?
The record with regard to building welfare homes is not 100 per cent but it is a reasonably good one. In the health board area in which the Deputy is interested four such welfare homes were opened in recent years. In July, 1974, a home was opened in Bray at a cost of £145,000; a home in Ballymun was opened in 1975 at a cost of £200,000; another was opened at Clonskeagh at a cost of £190,000. Donnybrook, which was built by the Sisters of Charity, was given a grant of £50,000. The programme for the establishment of welfare homes approved by the then Minister was 48. Of these 22 have been completed and three are in the course of construction so it does not necessarily mean to say that there is no work being done on welfare homes this year. Six are at tender stage and seven are in the course of planning. Whilst I am not entirely satisfied, we have made progress. We have shown our concern for the aged and as soon as more money becomes available I intend to push ahead with this scheme for the building of 48 homes, possibly more, as soon as I can.
The Minister's answer to my supplementary is the very point I was trying to make, that this programme had been progressing over the years under the previous Minister and to a certain extent under the present Minister. Surely it is a pity to break up this project——
The Deputy has already made that point.
If the Minister is hitting projects let him not hit this one.
The Minister said that seven welfare homes were at tender stage and some more at planning stage. Did I understand from his initial reply that no new welfare homes will start in 1976?
That is so.
Even those already at tender stage?
That is so.
They are all chopped.