Vol. 487 No. 3
188 Mrs. Owen asked the Minister for Health and Children the additional services, if any, which will be made available during 1998 to people with a mental handicap; and the additional services which were provided during 1997. [3828/98]
I was pleased to be in a position to provide £16 million additional funding for services to persons with a mental handicap in 1998 to continue the process of delivering on the Government's commitment to provide additional services in line with the needs outlined in An Assessment of Need for Services to Persons with a Mental Handicap 1997-2001, and to strengthen existing services. Details of the precise services to be put in place in each health board region are currently being agreed by the regional mental handicap co-ordinating committees. As not all health board regions have submitted their plans to my Department in respect of 1998 I am therefore not in a position at present to indicate the new services which will be made available this year.
A programme of new building is essential for the delivery of the services required to meet the needs which have been identified in the assessment of need. I am, therefore, putting in place a £30 million capital programme for mental handicap services to run over four years in tandem with the assessment of need, beginning this year with the capital allocation of £5.25 million which I have already mentioned.
