Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 4 May 1993

Vol. 430 No. 2

Written Answers. - Facilities for Mentally Handicapped.

Bernard J. Durkan

Question:

90 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Health the degree to which funds are now available for the provision of facilities for the mentally handicapped; if there are adequate funds to meet requirements in all mental handicap units/institutions run by the various health boards throughout the country; if he has satisfied himself that all such institutions are in good repair, have a full complement of staff and that sufficient places exist for such patients; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

Minister for Health (Mr. Howlin)

The total amount being spent this year on services for people with a mental handicap is approximately £209 million.

The services for people with a mental handicap which are directly provided by the health boards have benefited in recent years from the additional resources which have been made available for the general development of mental handicap services. In particular, significant progress has been made in transferring people with a mental handicap, who in former years were admitted to psychiatric hospitals, to a specialist mental handicap service.

There were 942 people with mental handicap accommodated in public psychiatric hospitals on 31 December 1992. A further 447 people were accommodated in redesignated units associated with these hospitals but which are now part of the mental handicap service. These figures compare with 1,495 and 310 respectively in 1990. I am satisfied that the specialist mental handicap services run by the health boards in general are adequately funded and staffed and that the accommodation provided is in good repair. The Deputy will be aware of problems in the mental handicap service of St. Ita's Hospital, Portrane, the responsibility of the Eastern Health Board. In response to the need to improve services in the hospital, I have allocated additional funding of £200,000 to the Eastern Health Board this year to improve staffing levels. Additional capital funding will also be made available to the board to improve the quality of accommodation to clients of the service.

Additional funding amounting to £8.5 million has been made available this year to develop more services for people with a mental handicap. While I am conscious that much more needs to be done to meet fully the needs of all persons with a mental handicap within the services, in particular those who are on a waiting list, I am satisfied that this injection of £8.5 million on top of the £6 million made available last year, which has been repeated this year, will provide a real improvement in the services. I intend to build on this progress in future years.