asked the Minister for Health the steps he is taking to help mentally handicapped adults.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Mentally Handicapped.
5.
During the current year about 420 additional places for mentally handicapped adults will become available in residential and day centres. A further 850 places, both residential and day, are in various stages of building or planning.
A number of community workshops have been opened during the last year and I expect that others will open during the present year. The total provision of places in these workshops is likely to be about 300. They will provide facilities for all categories of adult handicapped including the mentally handicapped.
The recent decision to extend, as from the 1st April next, the schemes for free travel, free electricity allowances and free television licences to recipients of disabled persons maintenance allowance will further benefit the adult handicapped.
I might add that my Department are examining the longer term needs of the mentally handicapped in general in the light of two recent reports of the Medico-Social Research Board based on censuses of the mentally handicapped in institutions and in the community.
Would the Minister agree that the biggest single problem in the area of mental handicap relates to the future of the adult mentally handicapped and that it is a problem which is causing intense anguish to parents of mentally handicapped children who are reaching the maximum age for retention in homes for mentally handicapped children?
Yes. I would fully agree with the Deputy that adults are occupying places that were meant for young children under 16, and I am trying to improve that situation in a manner which is partly described in the reply I gave to him.
Could the Minister state if he has any plans for helping severely mentally handicapped adults?
The information I have does not distinguish between severe and mild handicap, but I want to assure the Deputy that as far as the provision of additional places is concerned there will be available this year 160 day places and 264 residential places. There will also be 300 workshop places during the coming year. There are very many—850 places —being planned and I would hope that the planning would proceed and that we could get on with the building of these institutions as quickly as possible.
Would the Minister send me at a later date a breakdown of the information? I think he will accept that there is a particular problem in relation to moderately and severely handicapped adults, and I would be anxious to know exactly what is likely to be done for such adults.
If those figures can be broken down I will give them to the Deputy.
The Minister will accept there is a very considerable difference between mildly mentally handicapped and the other categories I have mentioned? Finally, will the Minister see to it, as a matter of urgency, that whatever decisions he makes and whatever provision is made will be relayed to the parents of mentally handicapped children so as to allay the considerable anxiety they feel, particularly when their children are reaching 18 years of age?
Yes.