Vol. 553 No. 5
300 Mr. McGuinness asked the Minister for Health and Children the reason his Department has ceased to fund La Leche League of Ireland; if the league is being asked to apply to each health board for funding; and if he will ringfence the amount of money required by La Leche League in order that it is safeguarded within each board thus continuing a reliable annual grant. [14566/02]
The evolving role of my Department and of the health promotion unit is reflected in the National Health Strategy and the National Health Promotion Strategy. These state that if the Department is to address the key areas which it has outlined as being of strategic importance, it is crucial for it to strike the appropriate balance between its day-to-day operational work and the work required to plan, develop, monitor and review the services and the environment in which they are delivered. Thus, the executive function of the health promotion unit of my Department is being devolved to the health boards allowing its policy function to be strengthened. The health boards now have a statutory obligation to develop health promotion programmes bearing in mind the needs within each area and the objectives of the Department in relation to health promotion generally.
To meet the objectives of La Leche League of Ireland and to continue the promotion of breastfeeding throughout Ireland it is essential that there are effective linkages between all stakeholders. La Leche League has applied for and received funding on an ad hoc annual basis from the health promotion unit over the past decade. However, while the unit provides some funding to voluntary groups, it is not in a position to provide core funding to such groups. Consequently, my Department has recommended that La Leche League makes contact with the health boards and the Eastern Regional Health Authority with regard to its baseline-core funding needs in order to ensure the proper co-ordination and development of services at regional level. These linkages will allow for a greater degree of integration and continuity of services.
Question No. 301 answered with Question No. 266.
