asked the Minister for Health if he will outline the policy of his Department to assist members of the public to avail of any grants and assistance available from his Department and the procedures used towards this end.
Written Answers. - Information of Grants and Assistance.
173.
It is the policy of my Department to give every assistance necessary to claimants under the various health enactments to enable them to secure their entitlements. To this end there are health board offices throughout the country where information and advice are available. Information booklets and leaflets covering all the Department's schemes are available at those offices and are also otherwise widely distributed. In addition the National Social Service Council were established by my Department to provide information and advice on the social services and related fields. Community Information Centres, supported and encouraged by the National Social Service Council, are equipped to give information on all social service benefits, including health services. Developments in-the Department's services are extensively advertised in the national and provincial press as those developments take place.