Additional funding of £10 million has been made available in 1996 for services to persons with a mental handicap. This includes £6 million revenue funding of which £3 million is being provided to meet the 1996 cost of additional services which were put in place in 1995. The remaining £3 million revenue funding provided will facilitate the provision of an additional 66 residential or respite places and 265 day care places as well as home support services this year.
In addition, £4 million capital funding is being provided of which £2 million will be used to support general service developments. The remaining £2 million will be used to develop and improve the quality of training facilities for persons with a mental handicap under the European Regional Development Fund-assisted programme.
As the Deputy is aware, substantial additional funding has been made available in recent years for the development of services to persons with a mental handicap. Additional funding of £44.58 million was invested in the services in the period 1990-95 which enabled health boards to put in place over 1,000 additional residential places and 2,100 day care places.
I am satisfied this additional annual funding has made a significant impact on the number of persons with a mental handicap awaiting services. However, I am aware that more needs to be done if we are to meet the needs of those awaiting services. The Government is committed under both the health strategy document Shaping a Healthier Future and A Government of Renewal to the continued development of the service as resources become available.
Comprehensive data on the population with a mental handicap will become available over the coming months from the national mental handicap database.
Once this information is available, it is my intention, to initiate a review of the implementation of both policy documents Needs and Abilities and Services to Persons with Autism with a view to preparing an overall medium-term development plan for the services.