asked the Minister for Health the grants and contributions paid to each health board and voluntary group in respect of the rehabilitation of travelling people in 1985; and the improvements which have been brought about since the report of the task force.
Written Answers. - Rehabilitation of Travelling People.
117.
I am interpreting the word "rehabilitation" as used in the Deputy's question to mean the general welfare of travellers.
The information which the Deputy requests regarding grants and contributions paid to each health board and voluntary group in respect of the rehabilitation of travelling people in 1985 is not immediately available. However, I have asked the health boards for the information and I will forward it to the Deputy as soon as it becomes available to me.
However, information is available on grants made by health boards to voluntary organisations for the provision of pre-school services to traveller children. This information is set out in the following tabular statement. The Deputy might wish to note that the pre-schools indicated in the table provide this service mainly if not exclusively to traveller children only.
As a result of the report of the Task Force of Ministers of State on the Travelling People Review Body Report a Government Policy Statement on travellers was issued in July 1984 which gave overall responsibility for the general welfare of travelling people to me as Minister for Health. It was under my aegis that the committee to monitor the implementation of that policy statement was established in September 1984. A majority of the committee are either travellers or persons working on behalf of travellers; the remainder of the committee's membership is made up of senior officials from the key Government Departments of Health, Environment, Labour and Education.
Since its inception the committee has met 19 times and has produced its first report which was presented to me on 4 November 1985. The report details the progress made in recent times in the provision of services to travellers in a number of areas of importance to the travelling people. It notes with approval that many of the commitments in the Government policy statement of July 1984 on accommodation, health services, education and job training have been carried out. For example, the rapid expansion of vocational training facilities for young travellers which exceeds even the recommendations of the review body report is noted with approval as is the publication of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill, 1985. The Bill is seen to contain certain provisions which are of importance to travellers, for example, in the provision of halting sites and the letting of dwellings.
The report lists details of improvements in services for travellers including health services, for example, the introduction of the mobile clinic for travellers in the Eastern Health Board area. I am sending a copy of the report, for his information, to the Deputy.
Following is the tabular statement:
|
Health Board |
Name of Pre-school |
Grant |
|
£ |
||
|
Eastern (all grants for 1985) |
St. Mary's, Tallaght |
3,210 |
|
Barnardo's, Dunsink Lane |
3,200 |
|
|
St. Francis, Priorswood |
2,608 |
|
|
St. Anne's, Milltown |
4,250 |
|
|
St. Joseph's, Finglas |
4,250 |
|
|
North William's Street |
2,608 |
|
|
St. Kieran's, Bray (meals service) |
5,000 |
|
|
St. Declan's (meals service) |
2,800 |
|
|
St. Louis (meals service) |
1,300 |
|
|
St. Thomas (meals service) |
1,740 |
|
|
St. Margaret's (meals service) |
590 |
|
|
North-Eastern (all grants for 1984) |
Pre-school for Travellers, Dundalk |
1,000 |
|
St. Joseph's Convent of Mercy, Meath |
— |
|
|
Western (all grants for 1984) |
Tuam, County Galway |
3,500 |
|
Loughrea, County Galway |
1,250 |
|
|
Ballinasloe, County Galway |
7,150 |
|
|
Ozanam House, County Galway |
5,000 |
|
|
Hillside, County Galway |
5,000 |
|
|
“Happy Hours”, Ballina, County Mayo |
1,400 |
|
|
Boyle, County Roscommon |
1,000 |
|
|
Midland (all grants for 1984) |
Pre-school for Travellers, Tullamore |
750 |
|
Our Lady of the Wayside, Longford |
10,000 |
|
|
North Western (all grants for 1984) |
Carrick-on-Shannon pre-school for Travellers |
5,500 |
|
Southern (all grants for 1985) |
Pre-school for Travellers, Knocknaheeny, Cork |
3,300 |
|
Pre-school for travellers, Belgooly, Cork |
3,000 |
|
|
Pre-school and other facilities for traveller children, |
||
|
Bishopstown, Cork. (St. Catherine's Voluntary Committee) |
3,300 |
|
|
Pre-school for travellers, Turner's Cross, Cork |
4,000 |
|
|
Pre-school for travellers, Ballycasheen, Killarney |
2,605 |
|
|
South-Eastern (all grants for 1985) |
Pre-school for travellers, Carlow |
7,000 |
|
Pre-school for travellers, Kilkenny |
2,100 |
|
|
Special pre-school for travellers, South Tipperary |
4,000 |
|
|
Clonmel Social Service Council (meals for above) |
500 |
|
|
Bunclody pre-school for travellers, Wexford |
1,500 |
|
|
Taghmon pre-school |
||
|
Mid-Western (for 1983) |
Mount St. Vincent pre-school for travellers |
800 |