Vol. 552 No. 2
84 Mr. McGuinness asked the Minister for Health and Children the reason applications made by parents of children with autism in the South Eastern Health Board area for a domiciliary care allowance are not having the awards backdated to the date of birth or age two years as is the case in other health board areas. [12181/02]
Domiciliary care allowance, DCA, is administered by the health boards on behalf of my Department. Current departmental policy states that DCA should be paid in respect of eligible children from the date of application up to the age of 16 years whose disability is so severe that they require constant care and attention which is considerably in excess of that normally required by a child of the same age. It is a matter for the senior area medical officer in the relevant health board to decide whether a child qualifies for DCA.
A national health board working group is currently examining all the disability related allowances and grants which come under the aegis of my Department, including domiciliary care allowance. As part of its work, the group is examining procedures which may require standardisation across all health boards. When the group has finalised its report, its recommendations will be considered in consultation with the Department of Finance and in the context of the many competing demands for resources within the health sector.
