Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 26 Jan 1994

Vol. 437 No. 6

Written Answers. - Allocation to Health Boards.

Róisín Shortall

Question:

548 Ms Shortall asked the Minister for Health if, in relation to his financial allocation to each of the health boards for mental handicap, he will give details for each health board area of the total allocation for each of the years from 1989 to 1993 and the total number of places provided in each of the years from 1989 to 1993.

Minister for Health (Mr. Howlin)

The estimated health expenditure on services for people with mental handicap by health board area for the years 1989 to 1993 is detailed on the attached Table 1. The estimated expenditure is made up of (a) expenditure by voluntary agencies funded directly by my Department, (b) expenditure by health boards on their own mental handicap services, services for people with a mental handicap resident in Psychiatic Hospitals, grants paid to agencies funded under section 65 of the 1953 Health Act and any other grants paid by health boards, (c) expenditure by health boards on allowances such as disabled person maintenance allowance (DPMA) and domiciliary care allowance (DCA) to people with a mental handicap.

Detailed statistics on the number of people with mental handicap in receipt of services were collected in 1988, 1990 and 1992 as shown in the following Table 2. In addition some 7,500 children attended special schools and classes operated under the aegis of the Department of Education. My Department, with the agreement of the statutory and voluntary agencies, is in the process of putting in place a national data base on the needs of people with mental handicap. This data base will provide information, on an ongoing basis, on the number of people with a mental handicap in each region, the number on receipt of services and those awaiting services, their current and future needs and the level of support is required to meet those needs.

TABLE 1

Estimated Health Expenditure on Mental Handicap Services by Location of Service

	1989	1990	1991	1992	1993
	£m	£m	£m	£m	£m
Eastern	47.804	55.972	59.103	70.085	80.908
Midland	5.840	7.636	8.152	8.749	9.586
Mid-Western	10.794	13.509	14.818	16.941	19.799
North-Eastern	8.591	11.357	11.892	12.813	15.610
North-Western	8.112	11.500	12.529	13.270	14.230
South-Eastern	13.578	14.299	15.423	18.296	19.809
Southern	18.345	23.502	23.643	26.977	29.475
Western	18.769	23.631	25.534	27.006	27.798
Total	131.833	161.406	171.094	194.137	217.215

TABLE 2

Numbers of People with Mental Handicap in Receipt of Services

	1988	1990	1992
Residential Services	5,817	6,063	6,582
Day Services	5,219	5,783	6,817
Total	11,036	11,846	13,399