Deputy Quill was in possession. I understand her time is to be shared with Deputy Kenny. Deputy Kenny has nine minutes.
Private Members' Business. - Facilities for Mentally Handicapped: Motion (Resumed).
The following motion was moved by Deputy Flanagan on Tuesday, 25 May 1993:
That Dáil Éireann, mindful of the lack of facilities and care for mentally handicapped people in the State and having regard to the urgent need to provide a much greater level of support for those caring for the mentally handicapped, including the provision of a comprehensive respite care scheme together with long term training and job opportunities by way of a national programme for the mentally handicapped, calls on the Government to honour specific commitments given towards providing an acceptable level of care for those with a mental handicap.
Debate resumed on amendment No. 1:
To delete all words after "That" and substitute the following:
"Dáil Éireann notes the Government's commitment in theProgramme for a Partnership Government to the elimination of inequality for all groups in society that have suffered from disability and, in particular, approves the following measures in relation to persons with a mental handicap:
—the appointment of a Minister for Equality and Law Reform to coordinate all Government initiatives for persons with disability and to promote their rights;
—the provision of an additional £8.5 million in 1993 to speed up the implementation of Needs and Abilities;
—the consultation and involvement of parents and families of persons with a mental handicap in the planning of services; and
—the encouragement of the integration of persons with a mental handicap to the maximum extent possible in educational, training and employment opportunities in society."
—(Minister for Health.)
I would like to share my time with Deputy Frances Fitzgerald.
Is that satisfactory? Agreed.
I fully support the Fine Gael motion. I congratulate the huge number of people who travelled the length and breadth of the country to protest outside the gates of Leinster House on behalf of their relatives and friends at the lack of a fair deal from a Government who have left many of our services stretched beyond their limit. For coming here on the wettest day in May those people deserve our gratitude and support. Tangible support should come from the Government after 8.30 tonight when the Deputies from Fianna Fáil and Labour have the opportunity to vote on this issue. The Programme for a Partnership Government states that the Government aim to have a health service of the highest quality so that people, particularly the elderly, can be confident that they will be well cared for when they need medical care. The programme refers to the provision of charters for the mentally and physically handicapped and for patients' rights. The programme recognises the importance of allowing people with disability to enjoy their full citizenship. These are worthy sentiments.
This year the Western Care Association, which provides the best possible services to people in the west, will incur a shortfall of over £400,000. If this is not financed by the Government there will be severe cutbacks giving rise to serious hardship and the loss of approximately 30 jobs. The director of the Western Care Association has already indicated that he cannot say how long his service can continue. It is recognised that services in the area of autism, special schools and residential needs are at crisis point.
This Labour Minister for Health guaranteed prior to the general election that sufficient funds would be made available, particularly for people with both mental and physical disabilities. The Labour Party now has the opportunity to do something about it. This morning we heard of Government action to allow a tax amnesty which might bring in about £300 million. The people who are proiding loving care and attention for their disabled children and other family members are entitled to a better deal than they are getting from the Government.
I spoke today to many parents who had gathered outside Leinster House to emphasise the seriousness of the situation with regard to services for mentally handicapped children and adults. One mother told me she has cared for 18 years for her son and when I asked her how, she said that she managed by never going out. She said that parents provided the service themselves by working, by fund raising and by developing some services. She went on to say that there have been some improvements in more recent times but that there were still dreadful shortages in the services. I also spoke to the father of a 12 year old boy who gave up his work four years ago to help care for his severely handicapped child at home. He does not know where his child will go to school next year. There is not a suitable service. I also spoke to a woman who is a voluntary unpaid worker looking after 25 severely handicapped children in the course of the week. She was furious at the lack of services for these children and she said that this was particularly noticeable in the area of severe handicap. I heard about another woman who had a new baby recently but could not get State support or respite care for the six year old at the time of the birth. The stories are never ending.
I pay tribute to the parents and the families who have done such trojan work looking after their mentally handicapped relatives. I also pay tribute to the voluntary workers who have worked and fought for so many years feeling that their voices were not being heard or their efforts rewarded. There is no doubt that it is their effort rather than any response from the State which has brought about any change we see. There is clearly a need to develop respite care, day care services and some residential care. If properly structured day care services were available it would greatly reduce the pressure and the worry of parents, particularly those who are elderly. Many parents are willing to make enormous sacrifices but they know it may not be possible for siblings to care for the handicapped child or adult in the same way. These siblings should be supported and appropriate day care services would be of enormous assistance. For "community care" one can very ofen read "family" or "mothers". For far too long this is what community care has meant. The concept of community care is excellent and the thinking is right but unfortunately resources have not always matched the aspirations. There is certainly a crisis in the area of mental handicap.
It is time for a quantum shift in the way we think and behave in relation to services for the mentally handicapped. It is time to inject reality into "community care". I would ask the Government to take this seriously and to put the necessary resources into place.
Eighty per cent of carers are female and an even higher proportion of carers who provide an intensive level of care around the clock, often giving up paid employment, are women. The caring is seldom a choice on the part of the carer, but the response to an immediate and acute problem, a personal response and a wish to care. In becoming carers many women have had to face isolation and forego the option of paid employment and all that means in terms of income, status and social welfare entitlements.
I do not have time to go into the details of the report of the Commission on the Status of Women and their many suggestions in relation to the development of the community care service and the extension and development of the home help service which would also make quite a difference. The commission said what the parents gathered outside Leinster House are saying today, that it is a priority that residential and day places should be provided for mentally handicapped people who need them.
The Labour Party misled people with regard to their general intentions after the election. Specifically, they misled the parents and families of the mentally handicapped about their intentions.
I seek the consent of the House to share my time with Deputies de Valera, Kitt and Flood.
Is that satisfactory? Agreed.
Deputy Frances Fitzgerald's closing remarks are not in accordance with the facts.
This Government is providing £209 million, an extra £8.5 million, towards funding programmes to aid people with an intellectual handicap. Never before in the history of this State have increases in funding for these purposes been provided. Members opposite know that and remarks of that nature are totally unfounded and irresponsible——
(Interruptions.)
The Minister must be allowed to utilise his limited time without interruption of any kind.
The Minister might stick to the truth.
If the Deputy interrupts again I shall have to deal with the position.
Well, I am afraid it is the Members opposite who——
Members on that side of the House will have ample time to reply. The Minister must be allowed to continue without interruption.
Among its main priorities, this Government has identified the need for greater equality throughout society. This includes equality for women, people with disabilities and travellers, coupled with the elimination, as far as possible, of social disadvantage and poverty. The Government regard as a priority the need to modernise our laws with regard to social legislation and the fairer application of laws throughout the whole spectrum of our public administration.
The Government's intention is to implement the Programme for Government, in conjunction with the commitments contained in the Programme for Economic and Social Progress and the Community Support Framework agreed with the European Community. The proposals in the Programme for a Partnership Government to enhance the rights of people with an intellectual disability include the following: the provision of sufficient money to speed up the implementation of the Needs and Abilities report; the enactment of legislation to put the rights of people with an intellectual disability on a statutory basis together with a means of redress for people whose rights are ignored; measures to ensure that the parents and families of people with an intellectual disability are adequately consulted and involved in the planning and decisionmaking process; measures to ensure greater co-operation among the agencies involved in such areas, for example, the assembling of financial and other information and the most rational and effective use of transport facilities; an educational programme based on the principle of choice; integration into mainstream schools and classes for those children whose families want it and improved staffing and facilities in special schools for others; the establishment of a vocational training centre for people with an intellectual disability on the campus of one of our universities, as a pilot project, to enhance the rights and perception of people with an intellectual disability and to encourage and facilitate research into their training and development needs.
My present role in relation to persons with an intellectual disability is primarily a co-ordinating one. However, one of my primary aims is to devise ways of increasing the effectiveness of the services currently provided by the various statutory and voluntary bodies to maximise their benefits. I had discussions with various interests in relation to persons with an intellectual disability. In taking decisions I will consult and consider the views of persons with intellectual disabilities, and their families, as well as service providers and voluntary bodies representing their interests.
The role of social policy is to provide a framework which facilitates the fullest participation possible by people in all aspects of society. To achieve that objective, social expenditure should be recognised as underpinning the quality of life of all citizens, including those experiencing mental health difficulties as well as the enhancement of equality of opportunity for them. Social policy cannot operate in isolation. Responsibility for facilitating participation of people must also be a feature of economic, education, training and labour market policies as well as conventional social policies. In turn, this requires co-operation between the public and private sectors, the social partners and individuals and the clarification of their respective roles and responsibilities. The integration of policies to create such a coherent, co-ordinated framework is a major challenge. Many policy areas have implications for social policy. In turn, social policy can, and does, impact on employment, education and other policy domains.
Because of our determination to eliminate inequalities in the case of disadvantaged groups and recognising the need for greater cohesion in measures to combat discrimination, the Department of Equality and Law Reform was established under the Programme for Government, with responsibility for seeing that equality becomes a reality through institutional, administrative and legal reform.
In pursuit of the Government's resolve the Taoiseach and I met representatives of the Forum for People with Disabilities on 5 May 1993 to mark it as Europewide day for highlighting discrimination against people with disabilities. The Taoiseach and I confirmed that people with disabilities will be represented on the new National Economic and Social Forum which will hold its first meeting in June. We also confirmed that the monitoring committee under the Programme for Economic and Social Progress on employment of people with disabilities would continue its work. On that occasion we announced the establishment of a Commission on Disability, the terms of reference of which are to be drawn up over coming months by my Department in consultation with representatives of people with disabilities and relevant Government Departments. My Department has already placed public advertisements seeking the widest possible input to the drawing up of the terms of reference of the new commission. I might add that 60 per cent of the proposed membership of the commission will be comprised of people with disabilities. In conjunction with the work of the commission, the process to establish a permanent Council for the Status of People with Disabilities, to oversee in a coherent way implementation of action, to improve the position of people with disabilities, will also be put in train.
As regards employment for people with a disability, the Government has undertaken to give a lead by honouring the pledge whereby the 3 per cent quota for employment in the public service for those with a physical or other disability will be observed. My colleague, the Minister for Finance, has responsibility for employment in the Civil Service where at present people with a disability comprise over 2 per cent of the workforce. Government Departments with low representation of staff with disabilities have been asked to increase that representation. I will be closely monitoring the implementation of the quota. I have also asked the Ministers for Health and the Environment to make inquiries as to the position within health boards and local authorities respectively.
I intend to give serious consideration, in consultation with the social partners, to formulating legislation for an employment quota throughout our economy. In that context I hope to ensure that the employment prospects of people with an intellectual disability will be safeguarded and enhanced.
On a point of order, is the Minister referring to the motion before the House?
That is not a point of order, Deputy.
My understanding is that it is a Private Members' motion.
Deputy, that was an unwarranted intervention. The Minister to continue without interruption.
(Interruptions.)
Waffle.
If my colleague, Deputy Allen, regards as waffle the setting up of a Council for the Status of People with Disabilities and a commission, which was requested for many a long year by the forum——
There are ways and means.
If Deputy Allen regards that as waffle it shows the nonsense of his party tabling this motion.
I know more about it than the Minister. Will the Minister address the motion?
Deputy Allen must desist from interrupting. He may not ignore the Chair. If the Deputy persists——
Yes.
——he must be prepared for the consequences. If Deputy Allen interrupts again I will ask him to leave the House immediately.
The Deputy does not like what is being done.
I do not.
The Minister to continue without interruption; he is sharing his time with a number of Deputies. He should be allowed proceed without interruption.
As part of the commitment to equality in the Programme for Government I will be bringing forward radical and wide-ranging equality legislation which will introduce long over due protection against discrimination for people with a disability and, indeed, for a wide range of other groups.
Up to now most of the services for people with a disability have been administered by or on behalf of the Minister for Health and are closely linked with the general health and medical services. Discussions have taken place between my Department and the Department of Health to explore how the commitments in the Programme for a Partnership Government can best be implemented. The Department of Equality and Law Reform will be responsible for proposing new areas of support for all people with disabilities, physical and intellectual, and for allocating such moneys to all appropriate Departments. Individual Departments will continue to be responsible for the delivery of specialist services.
Work is at present being undertaken in relation to the preparation of the National Development Plan in respect of EC Structural Funds for the period 1994-97. The main emphasis of the plan will be to secure the best long term return for the economy by increasing output, economic potential and long term jobs. A second emphasis of the plan will be to integrate the long term unemployed, and those at high risk of becoming so, into the economic mainstream. I am acutely aware of the high unemployment rate among persons with disabilities and it is my intention to ensure that Structural Funds are used to maximum effect to the benefit of the most vulnerable groups in society.
In the short time it has been in office this Government has already taken a major step forward by agreeing to the establishment of the council for people with disabilities and the commission. The organisations representing people with disabilities requested the Government to set up these two bodies knowing that they would best represent their interests and include among their membership people who suffer from disabilities. The commission is to report within two years while the council will monitor developments on a regular basis.
In addition, as I said, the preparation of anti-discrimination legislation within my Department is already at an advanced stage. This will be a major, new qualitative input into Irish society indicating how we and this Government regard people with disabilities, who should be enabled to avail of their rights just like everybody else. No previous Government in this country has done this but it has been done in many other countries in western Europe, the United States, Canada and Australia. I am glad to tell the House that this legislation will be introduced by the Government and it will have major implications across society.
At the outset I wish to thank the Minister for sharing his time with me this evening.
While recognising that there is a sound philosophical structure and system in place to deal with the problems facing the handicapped and their families the one ongoing anxiety is the lack of adequate and consistent funding. Such financial worries, particularly for voluntary bodies, sap the energy of those who are already stretched to provide the existing services and facilities. Adequate moneys would lead to the implementation of a strategy to lessen the burden for carers who very often have to live life precariously as they devote themselves totally to their handicapped children. Surely, the stress involved in looking after a handicapped child and the burdens it can bring to other siblings in that family, to say nothing of the strain it can put on the marriage itself, should not be compounded by the ongoing worry of what is going to happen to the handicapped child on the parent's death. Such anxieties are highlighted for the widow or widower and indeed, for older parents who are caring for their handicapped offspring.
While I welcome the increase in funding for the mentally handicapped I know the Minister would readily agree that we face a serious situation in the Mid-Western Health Board which I outlined to the Dáil on 29 April 1993. Facilities, such as Lisnagry, Bawnmore and the sheltered workshop in Ennis which is run by the Brothers of Charity, are filled to capacity. There is an absence of children's community services and adults are taking up children's places. In west Clare there are 65 adults 50 of whom need a place in a sheltered workshop. I understand that, due to the initiative taken by the voluntary group in that area with the generous help of the local community, work on such facility is now underway.
Greater State money should be forthcoming to provide immediate residential and day care facilities, respite care and sheltered workshops which give the handicapped person dignity and purpose. State money must also be provided for early intervention services for children and for psychological services. An interdepartmental approach to learning by the handicapped must be adopted, particularly by the Department of Health and the Department of Education. I would like to see the emphasis being put by the Department of Health on the provision of local facilities. As one can imagine it must be a wrench for parents who are very protective towards their handicapped child to send them far from home for residential care or tuition.
I commend the Minister on his statement to the House yesterday in regard to home support services and his plans for respite care for those on the waiting lists. However, the review group on the handicapped, set up in 1986, estimated that £50 million would have to be provided over a period of five years. This was incorporated in the Programme for Economic and Social Progress but the money was to be spread over a period of seven years. We have already heard that the Mid-Western Health Board needs no less than £6.295 million immediately to prevent existing services grinding to a halt.
I understand that the Programme for Government with regard to the handicapped will be speeded up from 1994 to comply with the recommendations contained in the "Needs and Abilities" report, but I implore the Minister to trawl once again the Department of Health for extra funds and to seek extra funds elsewhere to deal with the crisis immediately.
I got the impression that the Department of Health believes that the services provided in the Western Health Board area for the mentally handicapped are quite good but I wish to answer this by saying that there are very good voluntary organisations, religious and lay associations providing these services and that in many instances the services are at a standstill. For this reason I am disappointed that only £158,000 has been made available to the Western Health Board for services for the mentally handicapped out of the extra £8.5 million which has been provided. This sum of £158,000 has to be divided five ways in the counties of Galway, Mayo and Roscommon. Unfortunately, it represents less than 2 per cent of the total allocation.
To be fair to the Minister for Health, when the sum of £20 million was provided to shorten the waiting lists we received over 10 per cent of this in the Western Health Board. Unfortunately, as I said, we have only received less than 2 per cent of the funds allocated for services for the mentally handicapped. It is time the Minister decided whether he should fund directly associations such as Galway County Association for Mentally Handicapped Children, the Western Care Association and the Bourne View Centre or else provide a decent allocation to the Western Health Board to fund these organisations.
I share Deputy de Valera's concern on the question of ongoing funding. The Galway County Association seems to encounter financial difficulties each year. Last year, for example, it would not have been able to maintain its service if it had not received a special grant from the Department of Health and lottery funding. This meant that it had a deficit of only £50,000 at the end of 1992. It is important that we ask if continuous grants and lottery moneys will be made available to associations, like the ones I have mentioned. It is important that we get an answer to that question.
The Galway County Association has a waiting list for urgent cases. At present there is an urgent need for 27 residential places in addition to 25 further places. Their big problem, which is also experienced by many other associations, is that the children they were caring for in the mid-eighties are now adults who need day care places as well as group housing, which I hope will soon be funded. The accounts presented to me show that even with European Social Funding and their own fund raising, their projected deficit for 1993 is £345,000. A similar case can be made for the Bourne View Parents Committee in Galway who are seeking £70,000 for the second phase of their development for children over six years of age. They then will be able to proceed to the next stage. It should be borne in mind that this sum is less than the cost of institutional care for those who avail of their services. I hope the Minister will meet with members of that committee and respond to their needs.
I hope the Minister is listening.
I am sure the Minister is listening.
The Deputy is making my speech.
I am stating the facts and I am not making up any myths about ceilings falling in on operating theatres. These are the facts.
On a point of order, Sir——
The Deputy will have to restrain himself.
That remark does not refer to me and I ask the Deputy to make that clear.
I am not referring to Deputy McCormack.
There is a case for issuing medical cards to the mentally handicapped and this should be considered again. I have supplied information to the Minister which indicates that children with a mental handicap have a greater number of respiratory and throat infections. There is medical evidence to back this up. For some reason, however, not every health board agrees to issue medical cards to them as of right. I believe we should set up an appeals system on a national basis so that parents could have recourse to it when they are refused a medical card for a mentally handicapped person. All expenses should be taken into consideration when the guidelines for medical cards are being looked at.
The review group on mental handicap services recommended the establishment of a data-base on people with a mental handicap and I understand from the Minister that agreement has been reached between his Department and statutory and voluntary agencies providing services for the mentally handicapped on the adoption of an information system that will be set up in the coming months. I welcome that development. I know the Western Health Board has taken the initiative in my area.
I thank my colleague, the Minister for Equality and Law Reform, Deputy Taylor, for sharing his time with me. During the short time that I was a Minister of State in the Department of Health I took a particular interest in this area along with other responsibilities and for that reason I am delighted to have the opportunity to contribute to this important debate.
I will comment on a number of aspects of the services for people with a mental handicap which were raised in the course of the debate last night and earlier this evening. I am well aware that while a great deal has been achieved a great deal remains to be achieved in developing services and back-up supports for those with a mental handicap.
In the past many mentally handicapped people were admitted to the psychiatric hospitals but this would not happen today. The policy of successive Ministers for Health in recent times is that a person with a mental handicap should not be admitted to a psychiatric hospital unless there is an underlying psychiatric disorder which cannot be treated in any other way. The report of the review group on mental handicap services entitled "Needs and Abilities" endorses this policy very strongly. It recommends that an assessment be carried out of the circumstances and needs of each person with a mental handicap and where the assessment indicates that the mentally handicapped person no longer needs care in a psychiatric setting, the report recommends that he or she should transfer to a service for the mentally handicapped. In 1992 over 80 people with a mental handicap were transferred from the psychiatric services to more appropriate placements in the services for people with a mental handicap. At the end of December 1992 there were 1,389 people with a mental handicap in public psychiatric hospitals. However, 447 of their number have been accommodated in redesignated units associated with those hospitals which are now part of the services for the mentally handicapped. These patients are no longer regarded as being part of the psychiatric services. The development of appropriate programmes and the assessment of the needs of persons still in psychiatric hospitals is onging and will, I believe, lead to a further reduction in the numbers remaining in the psychiatric hospitals. This is a major achievement and has led to an improvement in the quality of life of those who have moved into more appropriate placements in the services for people with a mental handicap. For many years the psychiatric hospital was also a last resort for the mentally handicapped with behavioural problems, whose behaviour was too difficult to manage at home or in a centre for the mentally handicapped. It is now quite unusual for a mentally handicapped person to be admitted to a psychiatric hospital. While most people welcome this development it poses the question as to how disturbed mentally handicapped persons are to be cared for. This is a particularly difficult question and I know it is being examined by the Minister.
Up to 20 years ago the life expectancy of a mentally handicapped person was very low. Many died in infancy and few survived their twenties. Thanks to improvements in medical care the life expectancy of people with a mental handicap is, as the Minister for Health pointed out, approaching that of the general population. One of the main challenges we face is to respond to the need and meet the current demand for training places and sheltered employment for young adults. Since 1972 the European Social Fund has provided substantial resources which have enabled the country to develop and maintain a national network of vocational training centres for people with a disability. Through our participation in the Community Disability Action Programme, we have benefited enormously from our exposure to developments taking place in Europe and elsewhere.
Last night some Deputies expressed concern about the reduction in EC funding to agencies, which they claim resulted from a change in the rules. I have had the opportunity to investigate this matter and I want to assure the House that no change in the rules has taken place in relation to European Social Funding and there is no reduction in the overall amount available. However, the actual level of funding for a particular agency may indeed be reduced as clients leave the training programme. I understand this money is then made available to other agencies who have eligible clients in training——
In the same area?
Discussions with the EC Commission have been taking place on broadening the scope of ESF eligibility to allow a wider range of activity aimed at economic integration of people with disabilities to be assisted. I understand these discussions are at an advanced stage and will result in the authorities being able to apply EC funding in a much more flexible manner than heretofore. I was particularly pleased to hear the Minister's comments this evening on his intention to investigate the current employment levels of people with a disability in the public service. When I had this matter investigated a year and a half ago I was saddened to find that the quotas had not been achieved, with a few honourable exceptions. If the public service does not fulfil its responsibilities to employ people with disabilities, how can we point to the private sector? It is extremely important that we improve the employment prospects for people with disabilities. Where those with a disability are in employment, it has been shown that their employment can be very productive, economically rewarding and of course most helpful to both themselves and their families. For that reason I was very pleased to hear the Minister for Equality and Law Reform, Deputy Taylor, make that commitment tonight.
I wish to share my time with Deputy Liz McManus and the Fine Gael Party. I support this motion from a Green Party, Comhaontas Glas point of view. It is possible to paraphrase another well known phrase, that the greatness of a nation can be judged on how it makes provision for those who cannot assert rights for themselves. I understand that those with a mental handicap cannot vote. That should be a measure of our concern or, indeed, lack of concern and a clarion call for us to act together without reference to party and political differences.
I hope the disparity that exists between Departments on how we make provision for the mentally handicapped will be noted, whether it is the Department of Health, the Department of Education or any other Department that may have a role. It is not appropriate that people can obtain travel allowances from one Department and not from another. It does not send out a coherent message to those depending on those services.
In Dublin North I know many people who depend on St. Michael's House, an institution with a very fine record but its services are extremely over-stretched. I understand their budget allocation last year was £23,000 when in fact they needed £50,000. They are constantly trying to claw back savings and have to disappoint people in the services provided. Some may say that Cheeverstown House might be available but I do not think they really understand the difficulty of trying to live, travel and cope with the basic everyday activities of many of the people caring for or visiting those in residential care. Residential care is not being provided for on anything like the scale that is necessary. Some multidisciplinary residential help is badly needed in many areas but I am aware only of the tip of the iceberg. Much more could be said on this topic if time permitted.
The great army of people who are carrying the weight of the shortfall in our services are those caring for the mentally handicapped at home and, indeed, others who find it difficult to care for themselves. Whether lay or religious people they are not recognised in monetary terms. No account is taken in the Estimates of what it would cost to provide for the carers of those who would otherwise demand an even greater level of service from the State.
In dealing with mental health it is important to consider what we mean by work. The amount of work that is done, the stress, the late hours—sometimes all night—does not receive any recognition although there is a carer's allowance which may be of some assistance. If that is compared with the work involved and the remuneration people get by using the telephone — making a deal here and moving money from one place to another — it is difficult to reconcile the work of one sort with another. If we defined what we mean by work we would begin to see a resolution of this problem. Perhaps the way forward is by means of a guaranteed basic income, which I have mentioned previously, redistributing the State dividend not as dole or a carer's allowance but as something in which we can all partake, recognising that we all contribute to society. Looking at the nature of work — carers are doing some of the hardest work in the country — we may see a time when we will not need to put down motions such as this and that we can fund a little better those who are doing the work.
I welcome the fact that Fine Gael have put down this motion. It is sad that mental handicap rarely hits the headlines and any opportunity that can be taken should be availed of to keep it on the map because it is such an important area. The debate about mental handicap and the needs of the mentally handicapped have always been hampered in the past by a lack of the most simple information, such as how many people are we talking about. Only recently we learned that the number of people in need of residential day care is actually 2,576. That figure is probably an underestimation because it does not take into account people who are waiting for assessment. It is a realistic figure when you consider what is needed, and we need to face up to the responsibility of catering for their needs, enormous though the problem may be.
The document — Needs and Abilities — to which many Deputies referred outlined a five year programme. It was accepted by the Government, costed at £50 million and included in the Programme for Economic and Social Progress. Everything was done correctly except that when it came to the point of actually paying for it the money was never fully forthcoming. That is an indication of the extent of the problem of mental handicap. There are lots of aspirations and fine words but when it comes down to hard cash somebody else always seems to take priority. Many people felt there was a change of heart with the new Government. Among the mentally handicapped and those who support them there was a clear intention, at long last, the Government would face up to this problem. This belief was underlined by the commitment made by the Labour Party in the run-up to the election. The clear message was that if you voted for the Labour Party this would happen. The reality is that that was a sham. I do not think we should let off Fianna Fáil in relation to this problem simply because the Labour Party proved to be opportunists. When the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Spring, sat down to negotiate, if the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs had said that this was a central plank that was non-negotiable action would have been taken.
We know that.
That is the point.
We all know that but it did not happen. The people who were outside the gates today and who are in the gallery tonight are left to cope with all the difficulties and problems of mental handicap. If anything the problems are recognised as being more extensive because of the increase in the number estimated. The difference in the approach is interesting. In the previous Government when the devaluation crisis blew up there was an immediate response and the market development fund of £50 million was put in place to meet the needs of the business sector. That money was considered important enough to be transferred in that way. Today we have an extraordinary decision by the Government whereby the super-rich of this country will now be looked after and are being given a gift. What the super-rich have done to deserve this is beyond me.
A Deputy
They have fiddled.
If the super-rich are entitled to be given a gift we might consider providing necessities for those people who care for the mentally handicapped. Apart from funding — which is the essential problem — there is clearly a problem in relation to the long term planning of services. At the moment services are not integrated, they are, in a sense, developing as separate entities and suffering from lack of co-ordination. They do a great job but, to get that integration, a long term plan is needed.
I was concerned at the idea that there was a transference of this from the Department of Health to the Department of Equality and Law Reform. I understand that it is not quite like that. However, the Department of Equality and Law Reform was supposed to be the flagship of the new Government and an indication that the marginalised, disabled, women and travellers would all be treated as central to the new Government policy, which is a bit of a joke when one looks at the budget. The budget of the Department of Equality and Law Reform is roughly the size of the budget of my local urban district council, or, to put it another way, half the budget allocated to the Land Registry office — we all know the vast resources at the disposal of the Land Registry Office and indeed local government.
Members would be amazed at how much we can do with very little.
I look forward to being amazed.
I welcome the Minister of State. The fact that, certainly since I came into this Chamber, the Minister for Health has not been here, speaks volumes — I presume he does not intend to turn up tonight. Of course there is no press conference or television cameras and, again, mental handicap is not the kind of sexy media issue that can attract the television cameras.
In relation to the question of mental handicap, we have to face up to the fact that we are not dealing with children, we are dealing with people who have full adult lives. We are dealing with a growing part of our population. Neither of these two facts has been recognised and the reality that there are many hundreds of parents who are terrified of growing old is an indication of the kind of pressure and stress with which people continually live when they do not know what the future holds for them.
We know about the £8.5 million, about the difference between the promised £25 million and the £8.5 million. I do not have to go through that again but there is a simple question here that must be answered, it is part of this debate. Will the Government put up the cash needed to provide services? It would probably clear people's minds if the Government simply made up its mind and cut all the surrounding flimflam in regard to mentally handicapped people. Get rid of the plámás and the nonsense and get down to the nub of the problem. We are talking about the financial bottom line. I would like to hear some indication — at this stage I would be grateful for good, bad or indifferent in regard to providing cash. Let us not have this response from the Minister who says how much he wants to encourage equality and to see the mentally handicapped participate as full and equal citizens. We heard all that and now we want to hear about funding. It is not just Members who want to hear it, the people, not just those outside the gates today but the silent ones at home who are coping heroically day by day, want to hear it and they have not heard it yet.
I wish to share my time with Deputy Avril Doyle.
Is that agreed? Agreed.
For the past six years Minister Howlin sat where Deputy Kemmy is now sitting and preached at the Fianna Fáil benches, waving his little finger, remonstrating about the health cutbacks and ridiculing Fianna Fáil for its neglect of the health services. Time and again he extolled the virtues of Labour's concern for the underprivileged, the hardpressed and the minorities.
Now that he is in a position to do something he has virtually deserted every cause he espoused with such passion for the past six years. He has deserted this House tonight, and the mentally handicapped in their hour of need. The mentally handicapped, their parents and friends are gravely disappointed at the manner in which the Labour Party has treated health, particularly mental handicap since it came to office.
(Laoighis-Offaly): It did not cut benefits as Fine Gael did.
Remember 6 December 1989 when Deputy Howlin in Opposition addressed the House on a Fine Gael motion.
What about Deputy Bruton's cutbacks?
He spoke about the 1,000 parents whom he had met the previous night in the Mansion House and he almost moved the House to tears. He told us that those who were there could see the pain and the hardship firsthand, the anger that had driven mothers and fathers to the point where they intended to march on the streets of Dublin the following Friday and demand their rights. Those are the very same fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles who are in the gallery tonight. The pain, hardship and anger is now more intense than ever. He went on to say that he could see the shame that we who call ourselves a Christian people, who often refer to the mentally handicapped as being special should reach the stage where this group of parents were reduced to street tactics in the face of indifferent and intransigent policy makers.
From 2 p.m. this afternoon the friends and the parents of the mentally handicapped have been parading in groups outside Leinster House in the pouring rain. These people have come from the furthest corners of the country. They have been on the road since early morning. They have driven and walked in the most inclement weather, hoping that their presence and personal vigilance will bring about a substantial change in the indifference and intransigence about which Minister Howlin spoke when he was in Opposition on 6 December 1989. He went on to say that words were not adequate to convey the pain, despair and the feeling of hopelessness expressed so eloquently by the carers and the parents that night in the Mansion House and that these people felt forgotten.
They feel tonight that they are very much the forgotten people because a mere six months ago, a matter of days before the general election, the Director of Elections of the Labour Party, Mr. Barry Desmond, gave a written commitment to the National Association for the Mentally Handicapped of Ireland. He said that among the detailed proposals in Labour's programme was the provision of £25 million next year — that is this year — to catch up on the Needs and Abilities report prepared by the last administration and effectively shelved. There could not be a clearer, more unequivocal and absolute commitment. There were no "ifs", "buts" or "maybes". There would be no backing out of the commitment because of financial constraints. Labour would deliver and put the mental handicap services on a proper footing once and for all. The mental handicap associations, parents and friends of the mentally handicapped all believed Labour. How much did they get? A mere £8 million, unevenly distributed throughout the length and breadth of the country with a mere £158,000 going to the Western Health Board area to cater for Galway, the second largest county in the country, Mayo the third largest and County Roscommon. Unfortunately Minister Howlin is not here tonight but whatever about political and economic promises he simply cannot play around with the lives, welfare and the dignity of the mentally handicapped. Does Minister Howlin really know the trauma and pressure on parents trying to cope with an autistic child? Is the Minister aware that because of a reduction of £412,000 the Western Care Association will have to cut services, let 30 staff go and close down schools? Do he and his advisers read the newspapers which are full of letters from distraught parents trying desperately to cope with the trauma and pressure associated with handling people with mental disabilities? Does the Minister realise that many such parents are out tonight and for the rest of the year they are prisoners in their own homes? Is he going to stand over the cuts in services he is implementing?
I have a letter from the parent of a mentally handicapped child which I am forbidden to read in full. This letter is from Christopher Pratt whose son is mentally handicapped and it states: "We are desperate and we know that many others are in the same position". Is it right that parents should have to become public supplicants in order to beg for the most basic facilities for their children? Is it right that such parents should have to scrounge and beg on the doorsteps in their communities for voluntary contributions in order to scrape together the semblance of a service? Is it right that these people should be told in the second week of November 1992 that if they vote Labour they will get £25 million and a mere six weeks later they are told that will have to be cut by £17 million? How can any Labour or Fianna Fáil Minister have the gall to come into this House and recycle the speech, in more or less the same verbiage, which the former Minister, Deputy O'Hanlon, gave to this House in reply to the 1989 debate? Does the Minister not realise that he is hurting the dignity of people by openly admitting that he intended making the money available, but that in the horse-trading for Government — to which Deputy McManus rightly referred — between Deputy Spring and the Taoiseach, on their own admission, compromises had to be made? In other words, in crunch situations the minorities, the underprivileged, the weak and the disadvantaged and, in this case, the mentally handicapped are the first to suffer.
So much for change.
It is amazing, however, how money can be found for other causes and emergencies. Approximately £50 million was made available at the drop of a hat to cushion companies during the currency crises. There was no problem in appointing 15 new special programme managers at a cost of approximately £40,000 each and 15 new advisers at a cost of £40,000 each, a grand total of £1.2 million in the current year and £6 million minimum during the term of office of this Government. There is no doubt that money can be made available; it is simply a question of priority.
The Minister — if he is listening — could not have put it better or more prophetically when he concluded his contribution on 6 December 1989. He stated:
The Minister has in his hand the key to unlock the rights of those mentally handicapped people and their families and I urge him tonight to use that key and unlock those rights.
Deputy Howlin is now the Minister for Health. He has that key and he did not even turn up in the House tonight to give us a chance to urge him to use it. Priority is what we are talking about, dignity, rights, entitlements, nothing more and nothing less. All we want is a level of service commensurate with and adequate for these people's special needs. The parents are rightly disappointed and angry tonight, but they can rest assured that as far as Fine Gael is concerned this is not the end. This is the beginning and the fight will go on.
There are families throughout the country watching the progress of this debate with an intensity that no other public debate can command. These families randomly distributed throughout the country await the outcome of the debate as if their lives depend on it because in nearly all cases their lives do depend on it. At the end of the day, there is little room for political point scoring when it comes to dealing with the problems and the needs of the mentally handicapped. We must all share the blame for our failure as a society and as a political system to help the families of the mentally handicapped. My colleagues and I feel a great sense of shame when we meet families with adult or child members who are mentally handicapped, knowing that we as a society are not giving them the support they need and deserve.
The families of the mentally handicapped share a burden on behalf of us all. Today we are being challenged not to allocate blame, but to care. The burden of care must be distributed more evenly. In my view, the parents of those children do not ask for much — a day centre, a school place, respite care and, in some cases, permanent residential care and emergency care when necessary. As a people our desire to care for the underprivileged is legendary. Any further abdication by this House of our responsibilities to the families of the mentally handicapped would be a poor reflection of the wishes of the people.
The needs of the mentally handicapped have been well documented tonight and last night. The special needs, the special facilities and the money required to meet those needs and facilities were all spelled out. I feel strongly about the need to support the family in the home who is trying to care for their mentally handicapped child or adult for as long as possible. We must ensure that services are provided locally and not have families of mentally handicapped squabbling about the supply of continence pads and other issues that should be dealt with as a matter of course to meet their enormous problems.
We should provide respite care so that families can care for their mentally handicapped for as long as possible. There should be weekend and holiday care available for such families. On a financial level, families who are caring for their mentally handicapped children are saving this State a fortune and the least we can do is ensure that we are standing beside them when they need a weekend or a fortnight's holiday.
We must pay tribute to the voluntary sector, the nuns, the brothers and various other people who for years have shouldered the burden of the work in this area and continue to do so today. There should be a balance between psychiatric and psychological services, but I do not have time to develop my thoughts in that regard today.
We heard a great deal about ethics in Government. What about ethics in electioneering and winning seats on the backs of the most vulnerable by promising something and then failing to deliver it? The concern of ageing parents about what will happen to their mentally handicapped children when they have gone has been well documented by my colleagues on this side of the House. Such people deserve cast iron guarantees having shouldered the burden for so long. They deserve cast iron guarantees that when they are gone or can cope no longer there will be full-time residential care for their children.
It is a very sobering thought for those of us who have been dealt a kinder hand by fate as we criticise our teenage children about the level of noise from their ghetto blasters, how they wear their hair, for answering back or failing to get sufficient educational achievements. It concentrates the mind if we consider the burden on other families in caring for their mentally handicapped children. It puts the problems of life in perspective and is a lesson in what really matters.
We need to create a culture of caring. We talk about community care, but the time has come to ask if the community really cares. Creating an environment of equality can never be shown more clearly than by ensuring equality for the most disadvantaged and inarticulate segment of society. The measure of a society is how well it cares for its most vulnerable members and as far as I am concerned this Government stands indicted on that measurement.
I am aware that the Minister for Health is not present and I am not here to speak on his behalf. However, I would like to put on record that he is attending a European Council of Health Ministers meeting in Brussels. He was present in the House last night and I do not believe anybody would wish him to forego his European business. I am here to make my own case and, like Deputy Doyle, I am not interested in point scoring. That is a negative business. Histrionics or opportunism are no good in the final analysis, especially when dealing with the mentally handicapped.
The Minister has allocated the greatest amount of money ever in respect of the mentally handicapped, £209 million. The Labour Party undertook to spend a further £16.5 million as it believes that money is necessary. It hopes to spend that money in the next two to three years within the lifetime of this Government. The sum of £16.5 million would greatly help the mentally handicapped. However, money does not solve every problem with which the Minister has to contend.
In the last three weeks I have been lobbied by different groups representing health interests. Two weeks ago I was lobbied by parents and social workers in relation to child abuse in our society. They called for the Minister to implement the Child Care Act in full and this would cost a further £40 million. I fully support the implementation of that Act but £40 million does not come like manna from heaven. I did not hear anyone say where that money would come from. Last week I was lobbied by people representing the physically handicapped and I support their case also. They wanted £X million but nobody has said where that money would come from. I support the parents and friends of the mentally handicapped. However, there is no tap that can be turned on to provide the money. I read recently where Deputy Yates called for a cutback of £200 million in public spending. How can Deputies on the one hand ask for public spending to be cut by £200 million and on the other advocate spending £16.5 million?
(Interruptions.)
I knew there would be an onslaught tonight.
Deputy Kemmy without interruption.
Last night the Deputy was lobbied by the tax dodgers.
This is totally unfair. It shows the weakness of the Deputy's case. I have sat here for the last hour and a quarter and I did not speak once other than pay a compliment to Deputy McManus which she termed a lefthanded compliment. I have listened intently to the contributions of all Deputies. I am entitled to make my contribution in the five minutes allocated. Deputy Flanagan made reference to my not being here. I was in London last night on business relating to this House. I flew in tonight to be here. I could have gone missing but I would not do that because I knew there would be an onslaught by Deputy Higgins and I knew my constituents would be in the Gallery. I will never go missing for any debate here. I will not try to avoid anybody in this House, from the Taoiseach down to the most humble Member. I will make my contribution. I will not run away from any issue and this taunting will not get the Deputies anywhere — it will just waste time.
Money alone will not solve the problem. The parents and friends and others involved in this service have shown by their example that money does not solve anything. Without compassion, care and dedication this problem will never be solved. If I had money it would not solve the problem. Suffering will never be solved by money. This problem must have a human response and I perhaps, more than others in this House am aware of that. This is a Private Members' motion and such motions have never resolved any problem. I would question whether the parents and friends of the mentally handicapped could believe the promises of Fine Gael and the Progressive Democrats.
Scandalous.
That is not scandalous. This is a motion to harass and embarrass the Government, nothing more and nothing less.
This is point scoring.
This is parliamentary democracy and the Deputy should not talk it down.
Deputy Cox's fury signifies nothing.
(Interruptions.)
I am not a member of the group representing parents and friends of the mentally handicapped but I am chairman of the Labour Party——
I must ask the Deputy to conclude.
Sadly half my time was taken up with heckling. I am not a member of the group representing the parents or friends of the mentally handicapped, but I will do all I can to help them as chairman of the Labour Party. I would like them to place their trust in me rather than the bogus, spurious statements that have been made here.
I would like to share my time with Deputies Lowry and Flanagan.
Is that agreed? Agreed.
Deputy Kemmy has just stated that he will do all he can to help the parents and friends of the mentally handicapped.
He will do more than the Deputy.
"Mr. windbag" is talking again. Deputy Kemmy should support the motion. He can talk through the media but this is where it matters.
The Deputy should not worry about me. He should look after himself.
Deputy Kemmy should support this motion that will release funds to provide further care for the mentally handicapped.
Will we see Deputy Kemmy on Thursday on "Prime Time" shedding crocodile tears?
The silent unsung heroes of our society are the parents and friends of the mentally handicapped. As we saw today, they will not be silent any longer. Their commitment and dedication was exploited in the most cynical and political way by one party prior to the election. It is ironic that the Labour Party document Trust in Politics has betrayed the trust of the parents and friends of the mentally handicapped. It is ironic on a day when a major tax amnesty was given to many of the wealthy people here——
What about the amendment the Deputy's party has tabled?
Ask Deputy Yates about that.
The Deputy's amendment is tabled and he cannot have the best of both worlds.
——that friends and parents of the mentally handicapped marched up and down outside this House.
(Interruptions.)
Order, please.
Deputy O'Sullivan can vote in a few moments by coming through the lobbies with us.
(Interruptions.)
The review group set up by the Government in 1986 to advise on services for the mentally handicapped presented its findings in May 1990. It recommended that £50 million be spent over five years on services. The Tánaiste, Deputy Spring, prior to the election promised that £25 million would immediately be put in place to make up for the delay in spending money on services.
(Interruptions.)
The review group in arriving at the figure of 1,700 mentally handicapped persons seriously underestimated the extent of the problem. There are almost 2,600 seriously handicapped people. The Government has reneged on the Programme for Economic and Social Progress by seriously under-funding the services for the mentally handicapped.
Deputy Flanagan outlined in detail the national position. I will refer to statistics in relation to the Southern Health Board area and to comments made by the Minister for Health, Deputy Howlin, to Mr. Ger South of Limerick. The Minister said that the only complaints he received in relation to services for the mentally handicapped were from the Limerick area. That is a gross untruth. If that is all he heard, it is an indictment on Deputies from the rest of the country. In Cork city there are 17 psychotic young people walking the streets with nowhere to go. Some weeks ago I spoke about a 13 year old who for two years did not attend school and was abandoned. The Southern Health Board in 1992 drafted a plan for the mentally handicapped which the Government accepted. The plan, now in its second year, is no longer relevant because the money promised by the Government is not forthcoming. The £2.5 million expected this year has not been forthcoming and the plan is now redundant. There are 879 mentally handicapped persons in the Southern Health Board area. This Government has betrayed the trust placed in them by the families of the mentally handicapped and it has also betrayed the Programme for Economic and Social Progress agreed with the social partners.
A Deputy
And the Deputy objected to that also.
The motion before the House has come about because of the anger, frustration, the serious concern and sense of despair amongst all of those people involved in the management and care of the most vulnerable section of our society, the mentally handicapped. It remains one of the greatest anomalies of Irish life that in spite of the progress that has been made there is still far too great a reliance on voluntary input and not enough State support to encourage that voluntary work. It is a sad fact of life that were it not for the courageous dedication of voluntary groups giving of their time and effort a great many of the needs of people with a mental handicap would be unfulfilled. We have a responsibility to support that effort and endeavour by ensuring that a genuine measure of financial backing is made available from the resources of the State.
It is on record as one of the Labour Party's election promises that the now famous sum of £25 million would be allocated for the provision of services in the area of mental health. It was a clear and unequivocal statement of intent with no strings attached. It formed a significant part of Labour's election manifesto and I have no doubt that many of the electorate in my county of Tipperary supported Labour on the strength of this issue alone. I now witness the anger and frustration of those people at what they see as a reneging on that promise. It is nothing new for a Government to fail to deliver on election promises but it comes as a bitter disappointment when that failure causes so much hardship and deprivation to a section of the community which is totally unable to defend itself and which is so reliant on outside support. To have their hopes and expectations built up to such a degree on the basis of vote-catching and then to have those hopes and expectations so cruelly dashed is nothing short of a scandal.
The dimensions of the problem can be measured under three broad headings. The first is the natural desire of parents to do the best they possibly can for their children to help them reach their full potential in life and to achieve their own niche in society. That desire and aspiration is intensified when the child starts life with a handicap but to most parents this handicap merely serves to spur them on to greater effort. Why should the attention and support given to such a child be any less simply because the child is different? The parents can and always do offer the emotional and caring environment which is the first step forward. Emotional and loving support in itself is insufficient without an adequate community response. That community response must come in the form of finance and services, and as the elected representatives of the community at large we must provide those services. To do otherwise is failing in our responsibilities.
The second broad area where we must examine this issue is in the provision of adequate workshop facilities for the training and guidance of young people. These workshops serve a two-fold purpose. They provide a platform for the training and development of the individual and for the nurturing of the innate talents that lie within. In my constituency I was very conscious of the work being done by St. Cronan's and St. Anne's workshops in Roscrea and by the Guardian Angels pre-school in Thurles. These organisations have been doing marvellous work for years largely as a result of committed groups of volunteers and helpers who are dedicated to the task.
In recent times there has been a splendid initiative in Thurles whereby that work with young children has now been taken a stage further through the setting up of Thurles Workshop Trust to look after the needs of young adults. As a member of the Mid-Western Health Board we were able to make an allocation of £52,000 towards the provision of facilities in a building which has been given to the workshop trust on very generous terms by the Irish Sugar Company. The response of the community at all levels to this project has been nothing short of magnificent. The Government must now do likewise by ensuring that adequate funding is made available to provide for proper staffing to ensure the future of the workshop.
The third dimension is the great concern expressed by parents relating to the future. How often do we hear, "what will happen to our children when we are gone and no longer able to care for them?" That is a question that is posed frequently by parents. As of now there is no answer for them, nothing which could inspire confidence in the future, nothing which can allay the genuine fears which they have about the welfare of their loved ones. This is an area where the Government must take the lead and ensure a natural progression of the child into adulthood.
The budget allocations are totally inadequate and the Government's perspective on the important issues is clouded and uncertain. It is no longer credible to state that money is not available. There was no problem providing money for programme managers, special advisers, for new offices in plush surroundings and for other trappings which most people would agree are merely propping up an already top heavy bureaucracy. The Labour Party is now crying wolf on the issue and blaming Fianna Fáil for its failure to deliver.
The sale of Government shares in Greencore and Irish Life has proved to be financially rewarding. The Government has approved millions more than was anticipated. What is happening to that additional money and where is it being spent? Even the most lavishly equipped offices and excessive consultancy fees cannot account for the amount being generated. We must seriously question the priorities of a Government that seems to be deeply divided on a number of crucial issues, a far cry from the rosy picture painted during the heady days of the unlikely marriage between the Government partners. That marriage, and subsequent honeymoon, are now a thing of the past and unfortunately Labour is gradually coming to terms with the reality of their small status alongside the Fianna Fáil juggernaut which blindly streamrolls its way through Government as it has always done.
The Deputy need not worry about the Labour Party.
I thank those Members who have contributed to the debate, particularly my many colleagues in Fine Gael and also the Progressive Democrats, Democratic Left and the Green Party for indicating their support for this motion. It is most regrettable that the Government has refused to respond in any meaningful way to the points raised in this debate over the past two evenings. It is sad that the motion appears to have elicited no response from Government. The acute shortage of day care and residential places, the curtailment of European Social Funding and the serious consequences thereof and the absence of a coherent overall national policy for the mentally handicapped all remain unaddressed in the response of the Minister last night, his colleagues in the Labour Party and those on the back benches of Fianna Fáil.
I can only conclude, in the light of the fierce opposition of both Fianna Fáil and the Labour Party to this motion, that after only four months in office the Government has become submerged in its own arrogance. This smugness undoubtedly stems from a feeling on the part of Government that with a huge majority of 35 there is little this House can do to prompt appropriate action. I challenge the Minister for Health, or his partners in Government, to indicate how effective his much ventilated increase of £8 million has been or will be this year for those in crisis. Does he accept that 1,400 residential and 1,300 day places are needed as a matter of extreme urgency? Does he accept that there are 3,000 people in this State with a mental handicap who have no service available to them? Does he conveniently forget the commitment made by the Tánaiste and Leader of the Labour Party in the course of the recent election campaign? Former Deputy Barry Desmond, a former Minister for Health, demonstrated some knowledge in the matter by way of a letter which has been quoted in the House. This is of little importance now that the Labour Party is in power and Mr. Desmond is a member of the European Parliament. How can the Labour Party say in November that £25 million would be allocated and six months later, having reneged on the promise, come into the House and compliment the Minister by saying that everything is now in order and there is no problem?
The Labour Party has betrayed the people's trust in a callous and cynical manner. Votes were cast and seats were won on deception and misrepresentation of a fraudulent nature.
The Deputy said we were giving them too much.
The report of the review group on mental handicap services, Needs and Abilities must be removed from the hidden shelves and dusted down. I call now on those Labour Party and Fianna Fáil Party Deputies who wish to associate themselves with their policy and commitments on this matter — in this regard I compliment Deputy de Valera for coming into the House and calling for more funding — to support the motion thereby urging the Government to take seriously the recommendations of the review group.
The reality remains in mid-1993 that Fine Gael is the only party with a comprehensive policy on the matter and we have had it since 1991. Thousands of parents, carers and friends of the mentally handicapped are stressed, depressed and anxious. Hundreds can no longer cope. The problem has reached crisis proportions and the adoption by the Dáil of this motion tonight will demonstrate cross party solidarity and indicate a willingness to raise the status of a forgotten people. By supporting the motion Deputies can show the primacy of parliament by sending a message to Cabinet that the order of priorities needs to be changed and must be done as a matter of great urgency.
I commend the motion to the House and call for all-party support on the matter so that once and for all we can join hands, put our heads together and address this particular problem.
Amendment put.
The Dáil divided: Tá, 72; Níl, 48.
Tá
- Ahern, Michael.
- Ahern, Noel.
- Aylward, Liam.
- Bhamjee, Moosajee.
- Bree, Declan.
- Brennan, Matt.
- Broughan, Tommy.
- Browne, John (Wexford).
- Burke, Raphael P.
- Burton, Joan.
- Callely, Ivor.
- Costello, Joe.
- Coughlan, Mary.
- Cowen, Brian.
- Davern, Noel.
- de Valera, Síle.
- Doherty, Seán.
- Ellis, John.
- Ferris, Michael.
- Fitzgerald, Brian.
- Fitzgerald, Liam.
- Flood, Chris.
- Foley, Denis.
- Gallagher, Pat the Cope.
- Gallagher, Pat.
- Haughey, Seán.
- Higgins, Michael D.
- Hughes, Séamus.
- Hyland, Liam.
- Jacob, Joe.
- Kavanagh, Liam.
- Kemmy, Jim.
- Kenneally, Brendan.
- Kenny, Seán.
- Killeen, Tony.
- Kirk, Séamus.
- Kitt, Michael P.
- Kitt, Tom.
- Lawlor, Liam.
- Lenihan, Brian.
- Leonard, Jimmy.
- McDowell, Derek.
- Moffatt, Tom.
- Morley, P.J.
- Moynihan, Donal.
- Moynihan-Cronin, Breeda.
- Nolan, M.J.
- Ó Cuív, Éamon.
- O'Dea, Willie.
- O'Donoghue, John.
- O'Hanlon, Rory.
- O'Keeffe, Ned.
- O'Leary, John.
- O'Shea, Brian.
- O'Sullivan, Gerry.
- O'Sullivan, Toddy.
- Pattison, Séamus.
- Penrose, William.
- Power, Seán.
- Quinn, Ruairí.
- Ryan, Eoin.
- Ryan, John.
- Ryan, Seán.
- Shortall, Róisín.
- Smith, Brendan.
- Spring, Dick.
- Taylor, Mervyn.
- Upton, Pat.
- Wallace, Dan.
- Wallace, Mary.
- Walsh, Eamon.
- Woods, Michael.
Níl
- Ahearn, Theresa.
- Allen, Bernard.
- Barrett, Seán.
- Barry, Peter.
- Bradford, Paul.
- Browne, John (Carlow-Kilkenny).
- Bruton, Richard.
- Carey, Donal.
- Connaughton, Paul.
- Connor, John.
- Cox, Pat.
- Fitzgerald, Frances.
- Flaherty, Mary.
- Flanagan, Charles.
- Gilmore, Eamon.
- Gregory, Tony.
- Harney, Mary.
- Higgins, Jim.
- Kenny, Enda.
- Keogh, Helen.
- Lowry, Michael.
- McCormack, Pádraic.
- McGahon, Brendan.
- McGinley, Dinny.
- Crawford, Seymour.
- Creed, Michael.
- Cullen, Martin.
- Currie, Austin.
- Deasy, Austin.
- Deenihan, Jimmy.
- De Rossa, Proinsias.
- Doyle, Avril.
- Dukes, Alan M.
- Durkan, Bernard J.
- Finucane, Michael.
- McGrath, Paul.
- McManus, Liz.
- Nealon, Ted.
- Noonan, Michael (Limerick East).
- O'Donnell, Liz.
- O'Malley, Desmond J.
- Owen, Nora.
- Quill, Máirín.
- Rabbitte, Pat.
- Sargent, Trevor.
- Shatter, Alan.
- Sheehan, P.J.
- Timmins, Godfrey.
Tellers: Tá, Deputies Gallagher(Donegal South-West) and Ferris; Níl, Deputies E. Kenny and Keogh.
Amendment declared carried.
Question, "That the motion as amended be agreed to" put and declared carried.