Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 27 May 1999

Vol. 505 No. 5

Written Answers. - Medical Support Services.

Paul Bradford

Question:

17 Mr. Bradford asked the Minister for Health and Children the progress, if any, made to date in providing facilities for children who require special accommodation and therapy and whose needs have resulted in a variety of High Court applications; and if he will provide up to date information concerning the issues as detailed in the High Court judgment (details supplied) on 4 December 1998. [8487/99]

Alan Shatter

Question:

83 Mr. Shatter asked the Minister for Health and Children the progress, if any, made to date in providing facilities for children who require special accommodation and therapy and whose needs have resulted in a variety of High Court applications; and if he will provide up to date information concerning the issues as detailed in the High Court judgment (details supplied) on 4 December 1998. [14100/99]

Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children (Mr. Fahey)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 17 and 83 together.

The health boards currently provide 49 high support-special care places for children who are in need of special care or protection. Plans are under way to develop additional places nationally as follows: in the Eastern Health Board area, the construction of a special care unit providing 24 places at Ballydowd, Lucan commenced in January 1999. It is anticipated that this unit will come on stream in early 2000. Planning of a 24 bed high support unit which will be built at Portrane is at an advanced stage. It is anticipated that this unit will be ready in early 2001. A step-down facility which will ensure efficient use of the existing high support beds by freeing up beds more quickly and a facility which will assist in the provision of interim measures of care pending the coming on stream of the units at Ballydowd and Portrane are being put in place by the Eastern Health Board.

The Midland Health Board, the North-Eastern Health Board, the North-Western Health Board and the Western Health Board are co-operating to provide 12 high support places, ten of which are additional, on a single campus. A project group has been put in place to develop the proposal. Places being developed in the other boards are as follows: ten high support places and a special secure regional facility with five places for adolescent boys in the Mid-Western Health Board; ten high support places in the South-Eastern Health Board; five high support places for boys and an additional two places in a secure unit for girls in the Southern Health Board. It is estimated that the majority of these places will become available during 1999 and 2000. In addition the development of ten places in the Mid-Western Health Board area and eight places in the Southern Health Board already planned to come on stream in 1999 is proceeding.

My Department has conveyed approval to proceed with all of these developments and is providing the required funding in 1999. The senior managers resource group comprising representatives from each of the health boards and my Department, established in October 1998, continues to meet at regular intervals to monitor the overall development of the service.