asked the Minister for Health if he is aware of the serious concern being expressed by staff and parents of St. Michael's House due to a very acute shortfall in revenue particularly arising out of a reduction in the budget by £342,000; if he has been informed that because of this shortfall some units will close, staff redundancies will occur, the staff/child ratio will become more unfavourable and the staff morale at St. Michael's House is presently very low; if he has any proposals for additional supplementary funding for this organisativel tion in view of its vital importance in the provision of care and education for mentally handicapped children; if he has any proposals to provide additional capital funding to take account of the immediate need for placement of at least 50 people in residential care; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - St. Michael's House.
I am aware of the concern expressed by various non-statutory organisations with the level of funding provided in 1986 in respect of mental handicap services. Where budgeting problems are envisaged the situation is being assessed and in this connection I have arranged for my Department to hold discussions next week with representatives of St. Michael's House regarding the general financing of the association's services. The various matters raised by the Deputy will be considered in the course of these discussions and I will continue to treat the situation as sympathetically as possible in the light of the available resources.
I am sure the Deputy will be pleased to know, however, that despite the heavy demand on funds generally in the health services, I have made provision this year for the opening of the Belcamp unit for day care by St. Michael's House. The question of providing additional capital funding for residential care is being kept under continuous review, having regard to the present level of resources.
Having regard to the fact that the Minister is taking into account the opening of the Belcamp unit, would he accept that it is not possible for this organisation, St. John of God or other non-statutory organisations to manage on an annual cut of 7 per cent? That is what is involved in this case.
There is no cut of 7 per cent in relation to——
I have the figures in front of me for 1985-86. When one takes into account the salary increases the best accountants available will show a cut of 7 per cent. I will quote the figures for the Minister if he wishes.
The Deputy may have figures but I have the actual departmental allocations in front of me. Having met members of St. Michael's House, I know their position. The original allocation for St. Michael's House last year was £3.895 million. There was a revised allocation during the year bringing it up to £4.06 million. The first allocation for 1986 is £4 million. There is a meeting arranged with St. Michael's House for Thursday, 26 June to discuss the implications of their budget for 1986. I think it will be a useful meeting. I am quite certain we will be well able to deliver the ongoing services of St. Michael's House during 1986.
Is the Minister aware that many aged parents of mentally handicapped children are simply no longer able to cope? Those children are in need of residential care. St. Michael's House and other similar organisations are aware of suicidal tendencies in some of these cases.
I am replying to a question in relation to St. Michael's House but I would be glad to deal with any other questions relating to the other facility mentioned by the Deputy, namely, the Brothers of St. John of God. In relation to St. Michael's House, at the meeting on 26 June we will discuss with that body their current budget and the opening of the adult special care unit which was completed last year at a capital cost of £1 million. It will be fully operational by the end of this year at which time it will cater for 70 moderately and severely handicapped adults. The annual cost of running that unit in Belcamp will be £300,000.
Could I ask the Minister how he intends to deal with the crisis in the emergency waiting list for residential places? In the Eastern Health Board area alone there are known to be 250 on the super emergency list, including the 50 I mentioned. It is a real crisis. Whether or not it is relevant to the wording in questions, there are a number of parents in the plight I mentioned. I am sure the Department are concerned about the situation in the Dublin region.
I would be glad to discuss with the Deputy the general question. There is a specific question in relation to St. Michael's House. I currently am awaiting proposals — if I may take the general question very briefly — from the Eastern Health Board regarding the general provision of residential care. As the Deputy knows, I have decided to recast completely the proposeals in relation to the Loughlinstown project and instead to spread out throughout north County Dublin, the west of the county and into Kildare and Wicklow that £9 million of investment in residential care. I do not believe in building, as we built elsewhere, large institutional structures for 200 to 300 mentally handicapped people with 400 or 500 staff. That is not the right way to do it.
My question refers to the need for places for at least 50 people in residential care. In that context, if the Minister is not considering capital funds, is he considering immediate supplementary current funding to provide staff to enable adequate care to be provided and for those 50 people to be taken in? It is relevant to the wording of the question. If he is not agreeing with the capital funding side, is he saying current funding is needed? If so, is it going to be provided? It is not good enough to say he is dealing specifically with the question when the wording of the question refers to the urgent need for residential placements.
I will strongly make the point to the Deputy, and I have made it in relation to St. Michael's House, the two facilities which I have been most concerned about in relation to St. Michael's House are the day care center at Belcamp which will employ about 50 staff who have been sanctioned at a cost of £300,000 additional moneys a year and to bring on stream Cheeverstown House which is partly occupied at this stage. It has a number of day care attenders and has now got some residential places taken up. The management of the house are currently examining the feasibility of providing additional places at a marginal extra cost.
Already, substantial moneys have been provided by the Department of Health to St. Michael's House in the past two to three years. I regret that some time last year, particularly around local election time, there was a lot of unfortunate and disturbing political propaganda in relation to the work of St. Michael's House, particularly on the north side of Dublin where letters to parents were issued by various people. This was unfortunate and I do not think there will be a recurrence of that this year.
Will the Minister accept from the figures given by himself in this House that the Brothers of St. John of God had an outturn last year of £11.7 million? Their allocation for the current year is £11.2 million. This is a reduction of £500,000. Similarly, every other voluntary organisation have had their allocations cut. It is far too blasé to come into the House and suggest it is political agitation. We are now at the end of June and he Minister is still meeting with them to discuss the situation. I would ask the Minister what he means when he says he will consider their cases sympathetically. Does that mean he intends to give them the necessary funding to continue the excellent work they are doing?
The Deputy well knows from his long experience, particularly at health board level, that there is a fundamental difference between original allocations at the beginning of a financial year and revised allocations as the year goes on in terms of additional pay costs provided. In relation to St. John of God the Deputy is contrasting the outturn for 1985 with the first allocation for 1986.
Will there be more allocations this year?
They are two entirely separate things. We have to take into account that 75 per cent of those allocations are for pay and pensions. We have to take into account the changing features of the pay situation which have a considerable impact on the allocations. I can assure the Deputy that in relation to the mentally handicapped I have taken very special care to ensure that the budgets of the voluntary bodies throughout the country have been fully protected within the level of inflation. We have provided substantial additional moneys. For example, we have the extra 15 staff at Drumcar alone in this financial year. That is growth in services in the area.
Can I take it from what the Minister said that the voluntary organisations can expect a further allocation of money to ensure that they will be able to provide their services at the same level as last year?
I do not make any blanket statements. I will simply say every week my Department have meetings with the voluntary organisations in the mentally handicapped area. I stress that their budgets are 95 per cent State budgets. The Department fund the bulk of the budgets of those bodies. Each week we meet them on an individual basis. So far we have received a great deal of co-operation and have been able to give them considerable assistance. I am not making blanket statements because unfortunately in the old days, and I refer to the Deputy's party, when anybody turned up at the door of the Custom House looking for a few bob, they were just asked what they wanted and off they went. It is different now.
The Minister is a despicable person.
The Minister is laughing at the disadvantaged.
Deputy Fitzgerald, a final supplementary.
That is the way it happened.
The Minister is abolishing the health service.
In view of the cynical——
Deputy Fitzgerald without interruption.
In view of the aloofness which the Minister seems to be suffering from in relation to the plight of the most unfortunate and vulnerable section of our community, could I ask the Minister to give an unequivocal assurance to this House that all aspects of necessary funding to this organisation and other non-statutory agencies will be considered and favourably responded to, to take account to the plight of these people which has been submitted to him in documents from St. Michael's House and their support staffs and parents? Otherwise the Minister and the Government will stand indicated for criminality.
The Deputy and his colleagues should respect the need for services for those who are mentally and physically handicapped in our community. Politicians should refrain from exploiting their needs in Dáil Éireann. I do not give blanket assurances.
It would be lovely if we did not have the right to question. We have the right to question. The Minister is seeking to take away that right from us.
The Minister is not denying the Deputies any right.
I detect a kind of arrogance from the Minister which seems to be a recurrence of the type of attitude we got from other Ministers in the past.
Deputy Leonard.
Total arrogance.
I do not believe in climbing on bandwagons.
The Minister will be on some bandwagon the next time.
I can hold my head up high, which is more than the Deputy can do.
The Minister is a disaster and everyone in the country knows it.
Do not provoke me, Deputy.
The Minister is a cynical disaster. I am talking the truth.
That is the usual rhetoric from Deputy Haughey. He has nothing else to contribute.
The Minister is regarded with total distaste in the health services.
More rhetoric. Keep it up Deputy. The Deputy has nothing else to contribute.
The Minister knows he is wrong.