Written Answers. - Spending on Needs of the Disabled.
Mary Wallace
Question:
88
Miss M. Wallace
asked the
Minister for Health
the amount and nature of all spending within his Department and by bodies under his Department's aegis on schemes specifically directed towards meeting the needs of people with disabilities.
[9379/95]
Limerick East): My Department is responsible for a number of schemes to assist people with disabilities which are administered by the health boards and the National Rehabilitation Board, or NRB, as follows.
The disabled person's maintenance allowance (DPMA) is paid by health boards to disabled people who, because of a disability, are unable to work; the recipients would include disabled people in training centres and workshops. The current rate of this allowance is £61 per week and the total expenditure on this scheme in 1994 was £95,918,050.
The disabled person's rehabilitation allowance (DPRA) is paid by health boards to disabled people undergoing training and who, by virtue of their training, are required to live away from home. The current rate of this allowance is £74.50 per week and the total expenditure on this scheme in 1994 was £6,583,568.
The infectious diseases maintenance allowances (IDMA) are paid by health boards under section 44 of the Health Act, 1947 to a person who is unable to make reasonable and proper provision for his-her own maintenance or the maintenance of his-her dependants because he-she is undergoing treatment for one of the infectious diseases specified in the IDMA regulations. The current rate of this allowance is £61 per week and the total expenditure on this scheme in 1994 was £113,155.
The domiciliary care allowance (DCA) is paid by health boards to parents of children with disabilities who require constant care and attention. The current rate of this allowance is £95.30 per month and the total expenditure on this scheme in 1994 was £9,269,984.
The mobility allowance is paid by health boards to persons with a disability who are unable to walk. The current rate of this allowance is £37.10 per month and the total expenditure on this scheme in 1994 was £967,679.
The blind welfare allowance is paid by health boards to blind people in addition to the blind pension which is paid by the Department of Social Welfare. The current rate for this allowance is £19.60 per week and the total expenditure in 1994 was £1,202,446.
The Motorised Transport Grant is paid by health boards to assist people with a disability with the purchase of a car. The maximum grant payable is £2,575 and the total expenditure under this scheme in 1994 was £115,760.
There is ESF Funded Training for People with Disabilities. The National Rehabilitation Board, which is an executive agency of my Department, administers the European Social Fund (ESF) training budget on behalf of my Department. A total of 3,504 wholetime equivalent training places for people with disabilities were funded in 1994 at a total cost of £49.803 million of which £28.466 million was from ESF.
The European Regional Development Fund Capital Development Programme is part of the 1994-1999 human resources operational programme under the EU Structural Funds which provides for a total capital allocation of £33.58 million for vocational training centres for the period 1994-1999. European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) funding assistance of £18.2 million is being provided under the OP with the balance being provided by the Exchequer. Funding of £4.2 million has been allocated to training agencies in 1995 under this programme.
Under the employment support scheme, which is administered by the NRB, employers receive a subsidy to compensate for the loss of productivity of the employee with a disability. The total expenditure on this scheme in 1994 was £584,000.
The pilot programme for the employment of people with disabilities is administered by the NRB and provides employment opportunities for people with disabilities in viable business enterprises. The programme is to run from 1994 to 1996 with funding of £1.2 million, £2 million and £2 million being provided for each year respectively.
