I propose to take Questions Nos. 68, 170, 176 and 177 together.
I fully acknowledge the burden of responsibility and the extraordinary commitment of the many carers and families providing care and support for people with physical and sensory disabilities. This has been widely recognised and reported on in the report of the Commission on the Status of People with Disabilities, A Strategy for Equality and the report of the Review Group on Health and Personal Social Services for People with Physical and Sensory Disabilities, Towards an Independent Future.
With regard to the physical and sensory disability sector, the provision of support services for carers and families is one of the priority areas identified in Towards an Independent Future. The report sets out the requirements for the development of the services over a five year period. Two of the review group's recommendations are crucial to the future development of services in this sector. These are the establishment of regional co-ordinating committees for physical and sensory disability services in each health board and the establishment of a database of service needs in the sector. The co-ordinating committees, which comprise representatives of the voluntary and statutory agencies and people with disabilities themselves, have been established and they function in a consultative and advisory capacity to the chief executive officers of the health boards in identifying and prioritising service developments and the allocation of available funding for this purpose.
Following a successful pilot project in three health boards, my Department is in the process of establishing a national committee to develop the database. The database will provide the basis for the accurate identification and quantification of service needs for people with physical and sensory disabilities, including supports for carers and families.
As the Deputy will appreciate, I have received a substantial amount of correspondence from various interest groups, including carers groups, concerning the provision of financial resources for the development of health services. Decisions on the allocation of additional funding provided in the Estimates for the physical and sensory disability sector are currently being finalised by my Department and these will be advised to the health boards very shortly. In keeping with the Government's commitments under Partnership 2000, services in the physical and sensory disability sector will continue to be developed to the extent permitted by the availability of develop-ment funding. I cannot say at this time what funding will be made available in the 1999 budget.
