Vol. 426 No. 2
117 Mr. Creed asked the Minister for Health if a request for financial assistance with regard to staffing has been received by his Department from an organisation (details supplied) in County Cork; and if so, the manner in which this will be dealt with.
A request for additional staff to provide new services has been received in my Department from the mental handicap agency referred to by the Deputy.
New services for clients with mental handicap must, in the first instance, be agreed by the Mental Handicap Co-ordinating Committee in the Southern Health Board area on which this agency is represented, as a priority development. The Co-ordinating Committee considers the provision of additional staff for this agency as a priority development in 1993 should the necessary funds become available.
The Programme for a Partnership Government includes a commitment to the provision of additional funding to speed up the implementation of the report of the Review Group on Mental Handicap Services —"Needs and Abilities".
I am not yet in a position to give details of developments which may be put in place in 1993 at present as the level of funding which may be made available for such developments will not be decided until budget time.
