Vol. 535 No. 3
109 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for Health and Children the funding which is available through his Department to disabled people's representative groups and individuals to enable them to develop and deliver courses to facilitate up-skilling and capacity building of people who need to use a personal assistant. [12621/01]
My Department does not provide direct funding to either representative groups or individuals for services or for individual capacity building to access services. The provision of services to people with physical and sensory disabilities is a matter for the Eastern Regional Health Authority and the health boards. Health boards provide a range of services, either directly themselves or by funding a non-statutory organisation to provide the service on their behalf, to enable people with physical and sensory disabilities to live as independently as possible in the community.
There are currently two main non-statutory agencies providing personal assistance services throughout the country, the Irish Wheelchair Association, which is the main provider of the personal assistance service in the Dublin area and the Centre for Independent Living which provides the service through its 26 branches nationwide.
In providing its personal assistance service, which is fully funded by the Eastern Regional Health Authority, the Irish Wheelchair Association provides a three day training course for new leaders and there is also a support worker to provide ongoing support and advice to the leaders.
