Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 28 Apr 1998

Vol. 490 No. 2

Written Answers - Mental Handicap Services.

Róisín Shortall

Question:

195 Ms Shortall asked the Minister for Health and Children if he will give details of the number of day and residential places for people with a mental handicap created in each of the health boards for each of the years from 1990 to date. [10116/98]

Minister for Health and Children (Mr. Cowen)

The information sought by the Deputy is outlined in the following tables.

Additional residential-respite and day care places for persons with a mental handicap provided in the years 1990 to 1998.

[Note: Res denotes residential/respite places]

Health Board	1990 (1)	1991 (1)	1992 (1)	1993	1994
Day	Res	Day	Res	Day	Res	Day	Res	Day	Res
Eastern	184	91	0	20	142	109	65	40	230	104
Midland	60	15	0	0	39	4	15	5	30	11
Mid-Western	55	6	0	0	25	8	10	20	52	39
North-Eastern	30	5	0	0	25	13	20	8	36	29
North-Western	40	0	0	0	23	3	10	2	15	5
South-Eastern	15	17	0	0	85	28	50	8	127	38
Southern	18	13	0	0	112	12	25	2	42	15
Western	40	23	0	27	14	20	10	5	18	41
Total	442	170	0	47	465	197	205	90	550	282

Health Board	1995	1996	1997 (2)	1998 (3)
Day	Res	Day	Res	Day	Res	Day	Res
Eastern	155	72	115	16	100	69	106	59
Midland	84	33	9	5	42	17	18	10
Mid-Western	44	22	47	0	45	21	20	9
North-Eastern	40	27	13	8	32	29	26	20
North-Western	9	14	9	6	14	16	18	10
South-Eastern	64	29	35	7	31	33	38	22
Southern	65	25	37	4	98	50	41	26
Western	53	22	0	0	38	51	45	54
Total	514	244	265	46	400	286	312	210

(1) The funding provided in the first three years following the completion of the work of the Review Group on Mental Handicap Services was used to address issues which had been identified within existing services.

(2) 1997 figures currently being finalised with health boards.

(3) A portion of the additional development funding provided in 1998 has been set aside by the health boards to be used to provide for emergency-crisis cases which may arise during this year. The 1998 figures above refer to planned additional places and do not reflect the further additional services which will be provided from this contingency reserve during the year.