Vol. 492 No. 1
165 Mr. Finucane asked the Minister for Health and Children if he will confirm receipt of a submission from the Mid Western Health Board regarding additional funding for an organisation (details supplied) in County Limerick in order to support its work in the treatment of addiction problems. [13729/98]
I have received a submission from the organisation in question, which identifies the shortfall it has in both capital and revenue expenditure. Following receipt of the submission I wrote to the organisation in March inviting it to meet one of the officials from the community health division in my Department, which is responsible for drugs policy and liaison with health boards. As far as I am aware it has not yet contacted this official.
The provision of drug treatment services is a matter for health boards in the first instance and in the Limerick area this is a matter for the Mid-Western Health Board.
The Southern Health Board pays a grant to the centre to cover the cost of patients whom it refers to it for treatment. The clients attending the centre from the Dublin area are attending it on a private basis and have not been referred by the Eastern Health Board.
The Mid-Western Health Board has informed me that it has provided a grant of £12,000 in 1998 towards the operation of the organisation. In 1997 my Department made a once off capital grant of £80,000 to the centre to help with capital costs.
Funding for drugs services has been totally allocated to health boards for 1998. My Department is therefore examining this submission in the context of what assistance could be given to the centre in 1999, but this is ultimately a question of health boards prioritising funding for this purpose from the allocations made to them for their drug services.
