asked the Minister for Health the present position of the National Social Service Board; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
193.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - National Social Service Board.
70.
asked the Minister for Health if he will make a statement on the future of the National Social Service Board.
197.
asked the Minister for Health if, in view of recent media reports, he will confirm that the Government has cancelled their plans to abolish the National Social Service Board; if he will outline any changes that he proposes to make in the operation of the board and in the funding of the board; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
200.
asked the Minister for Health the current position regarding the status, financing, and areas of responsibility of the National Social Service Board; if any areas of responsibility previously undertaken by the board have been transferred to other agencies or Government Departments; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 70, 193, 197 and 200 together.
As I announced recently, the Government have decided to transfer responsibility for developing and co-ordinating community social services from the National Social Service Board to my Department. This decision will be given effect to by regulations made under sections 4 and 6 of the National Social Services Board Act, 1984, which will remove from the purview of the National Social Service Board the provisions of paragraphs (d) and (e) of subsection (1) of section 4 of the Act. The Government's concern is to considerably enhance, develop and to give new emphasis to voluntary community services. The National Social Service Board had, in fact, been involved in such work in less than half of the counties of Ireland.
A newly constituted National Social Service Board will continue to support the services at present provided to community information centres. The centres provide the public with information in relation to the whole area of community welfare and I propose to considerably enhance this activity in consultation with the Minister for Social Welfare. I have, in fact, added to the functions of the board two additional functions: first, to report to me every six months on aspects of accessibility co-ordination or awareness of health services which can be improved to facilitate the promotion of health or the encouragement of individual responsibility for personal health; and, secondly, to promote and develop voluntary community information giving activities.
I will be appointing the members of the board in the immediate future. The membership will reflect the Government's concern that the board should be representative and competent to fulfil its role. The first task of the new board will be to produce a programme of work and activity related to the development of information services for the remainder of 1988. I will then allocate resources from the national lottery funds to meet the costs of that programme.
Let me at the outset welcome the Minister's conversion on this issue. I am glad that occasionally this Administration can reverse a nonsensical decision. May I ask the Minister, arising out of his reply, firstly, whether his plans in this regard require amending legislation; secondly, whether the £1 million allocated or announced previously will be available to the new board; thirdly, the specific functions the new board will have and, fourthly, the numbers that will be on the new board as constituted.
Legislation will not be necessary for the changes in the National Social Service Board. The funding from the national lottery will be decided on a proportional basis. The functions of the National Social Service Board in relation to community information centres will be funded with a portion of the £1 million and the remainder will be used by my Department to fund community-based activities in line with what the £1 million was allocated to do.
Do I correctly understand that the £1 million that was intended for the alternative the Minister had intended to set up in replacement of the National Social Service Board is no longer available to the National Social Service Board now that they have been rescued and that he is effectively going to rob half the budget to give to his Department to set up a new service within his Department?
As I have pointed out to the Deputy, the functions of the National Social Service Board relating to the provision of information to the community information centres will be funded with a proportion of the £1 million. The remainder of the £1 million will be used by my Department to further community development and support voluntary organisations in accordance with the functions that are being transferred from the National Social Service Board to my Department.
I want to deal with Question No. 71, the remaining question before the appropriate time expires. Deputy Bernard Allen's question——
Can I ask a final supplementary?
The Deputy may well preclude me from dealing with the last question if he does.
Can the Minister confirm that what he intends to do is effectively divide the functions of the old National Social Services Board, have the original allocation of £1 million to them and set up a new quango within his own Department? Is that effectively what the Minister intends in this regard?
I have already dealt with the question of the Deputy. He is quite right in saying that certain functions of the board will be directly under the aegis of my Department and will be funded from the £1 million allocated.
Vindictiveness, Minister.
That disposes of questions ordinary and nominated for priority for today.
What about Question No. 71?
I am sorry but time does not permit it to be taken now. I do my best. I asked for the co-operation of Deputies. It is not forthcoming at times and this is the result.