Vol. 524 No. 2
320 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for Health and Children the conclusions drawn from the recent pilot survey carried out in the Western Health Board area on the introduction of a system of needs assessment; when he will introduce the needs assessment on a national basis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22321/00]
The national intellectual disability database was established in 1995 to ensure that information is available to enable the Department, the health boards and the voluntary agencies for those with an intellectual disability to provide appropriate services to meet the changing needs of the population of people with an intellectual disability and their families. The database is providing a comprehensive and accurate information base for decision making in relation to the planning, funding and management of services for people with an intellectual disability.
The establishment of a database of the current and future service needs of people with physical and sensory disabilities is a priority for my Department. A Database Development Committee was established in December 1998 to prepare detailed proposals for the development of the national database and recommendations for the content of the regional datasets on the specialised health and personal social service needs of persons with physical and sensory disabilities. To date, the committee has developed the dataset for both the regional and national databases and phase 1 sites have been selected in four health board areas, including Galway city in the Western Health Board area, to test the dataset and the procedures for collecting the data. Phase 1 implementation will be completed in April 2001 and will enable the Database Development Committee finalise its recommendations for the establishment of the national database for physical and sensory disability services.
