Vol. 486 No. 2
33 Mr. Higgins (Mayo) asked the Minister for Health and Children if he will make the necessary finance available for an independent living fund to develop the personal assistant programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2092/98]
Personal assistance services are provided by the Irish Wheelchair Association, funded by the Eastern Health Board and by the Centre for Independent Living through the use of FÁS trainees under the community employment scheme.
The Review Group on Health and Personal Social Services for People with Physical and Sensory Disabilities in its report, Towards an Independent Future, which was published in December 1996, set out the requirements for the development, inter alia, of personal assistance services. On foot of the report, an additional £3.688 million was provided last year for these services, of which £226,000 was allocated to personal assistance services. A further £3 million has been allocated this year for the development of the services. Priorities for the allocation of this funding will be decided by health boards in consultation with the co-ordinating committees for physical and sensory disability services. Personal assistance services is one of the priority areas to be considered as part of this process.
An advisory group on personal assistance services set up by one of my predecessors explored the option of establishing an independent living fund as a means of funding personal assistance services for people with disabilities but considered that it would be too cumbersome to administer.
