Vol. 404 No. 4
335 Mr. Barry asked the Minister for Health his views on whether at least 2,000 extra residential places will be required for persons with a mental handicap in the next five years; if he has plans to provide these places; and if adequate resources will be made available.
The Report of the Review Group on Mental Handicap Services, which will be published shortly, estimates that 800 additional residential places will be required to meet the needs of the mental handicap population over the next five years. The commitment in the Programme for Economic and Social Progress to develop services for people with mental handicap will enable these needs to be met over the lifetime of the programme.
