Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 30 May 1996

Vol. 466 No. 3

Adjournment Debate. - Services for Persons with Disabilities.

Miss M. Wallace

For many years it has been widely recognised that our health services have failed to meet the needs of people with disabilities. Deputies will be familiar with frequent debates in this House on the underfunding of the mental handicap services. The issue I want to raise relates to services for people with physical and sensory disabilities. This area is becoming more critical as the Minister for Health continues to delay taking the necessary action to put in place a blueprint for service development.

The Review Group on Services for Persons with Physical and Sensory Disabilities was established in June 1992 by the then Minister for Health. Drawing its membership from a wide range of relevant bodies, the review group was charged with examining the entire range of health services available to this large group of people with disabilities. From the time of its appointment the review group undertook a comprehensive consultation and research programme to help it develop its recommendations. By May 1994 the review group had completed the major body of its work and only required staffing resources to finalise its report. These resources were in hand in the Department of Health but little attention has been paid to the report for 18 months.

In November 1995 I tabled a parliamentary question to the Minister for Health on this issue. Since then the review group has produced a draft report which was discussed at a consultative seminar in February of this year. The current status of the report is that it is languishing in the Department of Health awaiting the attention it requires to make the changes suggested at the seminar. I have received representations from a number of disability groups who are extremely angry about the ongoing delays and frustrated that all policy development in this area is being put off with the excuse that the review group's report has first to be received.

A number of serious questions must be answered by the Minister and his Department. Why has this vitally important report been delayed for so long? It seems clear that it has been allocated few staffing resources by the Minister. What is the reason for that? Is it because the Minister is not giving the report the priority it clearly deserves or is there a more fundamental issue involved? Is the report being deliberately delayed because the Minister does not want to address the issues it will raise, particularly in relation to funding?

After 18 months the Minister has failed, for whatever reason, to produce a report which was substantially comleted when he took office. There is little doubt that the allocation of sufficient funds by the Minister would ensure the production of the report within a matter of weeks. He should take this opportunity to announce that these resources will be allocated and that the report will be published immediately. There is no excuse for the delay.

Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht (Mr. M. Higgins)

I am grateful to the Deputy for raising this issue. I am taking this Adjournment on behalf of my colleague, Deputy Noonan the Minister for Health.

The Minister would like to take this opportunity to reassure the Deputy and interested parties of his commitment to publish the report of the Review Group on Services for People with Physical and Sensory Disabilities. As he stated recently in reply to a parliamentary question, it is his intention that the review group report should have the same status and impact as the report Needs and Abilities had on services for people with a mental handicap.

The review group has a broad remit and is anxious to ensure that its report will provide a blueprint for the more efficient and equitable provision of services in the future and deal with the major issues of concern to service users and their carers. Indeed the Deputy referred to that.

As the Deputy is aware, a one day seminar with the statutory and non-statutory bodies involved in the provision of services was held earlier this year to review a draft of the final report prior to publication. Many valuable comments were raised at the seminar by service users and these are taken into account in finalising the report. The Minister for Health has been informed that the amended report will be circulated to the members of the review group for final approval within the next few weeks, following which it will be published as a matter of priority.

Notwithstanding the delay in the publication of the report, it should be noted that the last few years have seen significant developments and improvements in the provision of health and personal support services for people with physical and sensory disabilities. Since 1993 additional funding has been provided each year to develop these services. Some £1.5 million was provided in 1993 and 1994, £2 million was provided in 1995 and £1 million in 1996. This means that the amount of money available for physical disability services in 1996 is £6 million more than that available prior to 1993.

The additional funds have been allocated to each health board on the basis of the relative population and apportioned, with particular emphasis being placed on the provision of day and residential care and the development of home care and care attendant schemes, respite care, speech therapy, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, language disorder units, psychologist services and the provision of technical aids and appliances.

The report of the review group will make recommendations for the further development of these services. It will also make recommendations on the future development of the personal assistance service for people with significant disabilities which was the subject last year of a separate report by an advisory group. Finally, the Minister would like to again confirm his total commitment to the publication of the report of the review group and to the further development of services for people with physical and sensory disabilities.

I assure the Deputy that I will pass her concerns to my colleague, the Minister for Health, and I appreciate her raising this matter which is urgent for those concerned.