Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 10 Apr 2003

Vol. 565 No. 2

Written Answers. - Services for People with Disabilities.

Richard Bruton

Question:

300 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Health and Children his estimate of the outstanding needs for services both residential, day care and therapeutic for persons with an intellectual disability; his estimate of the average waiting time in relation to these services for persons for whom a need is identified today; and the details of the new investment in place for services being made in 2003 to fill the gap in services. [10478/03]

Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children (Mr. T. O'Malley)

Additional funding of €13.3 million has been allocated to services for persons with an intellectual disability or autism in 2003 to meet the full year cost of the 2002 developments and to further enhance the health related support services to children with an intellectual disability or autism. This funding is in addition to the very significant revenue investment, amounting to €188 million, which has been made in these services since 1997 and which is built into the ongoing budget base. The additional funding provided by this and the previous Government between 2000 and 2002 was used to put in place, in addition to a range of other services, over 900 new residential, 380 new respite and around 2,000 new day places for people with an intellectual disability and those with autism. In April 2000, information from the national intellectual disability database indicated that in the period 2000 to 2004, 1,711 new residential places were required to meet the identified needs for these services. The annual report is compiled from the regional datasets provided by the Eastern Regional Health Authority and the health boards. A delay in the submission of one regional dataset meant it was not possible to compile the information which forms the basis for the annual report. This was the case in relation to both 2001 and 2002. The 2001 report from the national intellectual disability database is currently with the printers and will be published within the next few weeks. The 2002 report will be available by early summer.

While the impact of the 2000 development programme is reflected in the 2001 data, this data does not reflect a significant reduction in the number of persons seeking residential services in particular in the period 2002 to 2006. The 2002 data, which will reflect the impact of the 2001 development programme are currently being collated and validated. In April 2000, information from the national intellectual disability database indicated that in the period 2000 to 2004, 912 new day places were required to meet the identified needs for these services. The 2001 data indicates that a similar number of new day places are required over the period 2002 to 2006. It should be noted that in addition to the day places required to meet the needs of those awaiting placement in the services as mentioned above, the additional funding allocated in recent years also provided for those requiring a change in day services. These include young people leaving school and requiring rehabilitative training places or those moving from rehabilitative training to other areas of the services such as sheltered work, activation or services for older people.

Despite the very significant investment in services in recent years, demographic factors are contributing to growing waiting lists for residential services in particular, even though the number of people in receipt of services, including full time residential services, continues to increase. The increased birth rate in the 1960s and 1970s has resulted in large numbers of adults in their late 20s and early 30s requiring full-time residential services. In addition, people with an intellectual disability are living longer than previously, adding to the need for services compared to previous generations. A review of the waiting lists between 1997 and 1999, conducted by the Health Research Board and published in the 1999 annual report from the national intellectual disability database, showed that while 269 people from the original waiting list of 1,439 received full time residential services in the period, the waiting list had grown by an additional 238 places, that is, 507 had joined the waiting list in the period. This has also been the international experience in service provision to this population. The overall economic position in 2003 has had implications for all aspects of public investment, and this is reflected in the Estimates and budget adopted by the Government for 2003. Within this overall framework, however, some two thirds of the additional funding available for non-capital investment in services has been allocated to the health services. This funding is being applied largely to maintaining existing levels of service across all service programmes, including services for people with an intellectual disability. While it is regrettable that the level of investment in these services achieved in recent years could not be maintained in 2003, my Department will work closely with the health boards and other service providers in relation to service provision this year.

In relation to the Deputy's query regarding estimated average waiting times for persons for whom a need is identified, I cannot give specific commitments for 2004 and onwards in relation to any element of the health services as these issues form part of the annual Estimates and budget discussions between my Department and the Department of Finance.