Health Board Allowances.

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 9 March 2004

Tuesday, 9 March 2004

Questions (230, 231)

Seán Crowe

Question:

316 Mr. Crowe asked the Minister for Health and Children the discussions that have taken place in 2003 and 2004 between his Department and the Department of Social and Family Affairs regarding the takeover by the Department of Social and Family Affairs of the spending allowances awarded to persons with disabilities in residential care who are not entitled to disability allowance; if his attention has been drawn to a request from the Department of Social and Family Affairs to the health boards to provide relevant details on the spending allowances that are currently being awarded; and when that information will be supplied. [7649/04]

Written answers

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

Following discussions between my Department and the Department of Social and Family Affairs, the Minister of Social and Family Affairs obtained approval in the budget for 2003 providing for transfer of the pocket money allowance from my Department to the Department of Social and Family Affairs. One of the first tasks regarding this transfer is to identify recipients of the pocket money allowance and the recipients of the disability allowance who are in residential care. A request to provide this information was sent to all the health boards by my Department in January 2004 and is being compiled.

Bernard Allen

Question:

317 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Health and Children the reason a person (details supplied) in County Cork was cut off domiciliary care allowance when they reached 16 over two months ago and has yet to receive a replacement payment. [7754/04]

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

Domiciliary care allowance is a monthly allowance administered by health boards and may be paid in respect of eligible children from birth to the age of 16 who have a severe disability requiring continual or continuous care and attention which is substantially in excess of that normally required by a child of the same age. The condition must be likely to last for at least one year. Where medical confirmation is supplied which pre-dates the actual date of application and the health board's senior area medical officer is satisfied that the child required continual or continuous care and attention substantially in excess of that normally required by a child of the same age, then payment may be made from the date the senior area medical officer is satisfied that such additional care and attention was required.

When the child is approaching the age of 16, he or she is advised to apply for disability allowance to the Department of Social and Family Affairs. Generally, those who satisfied the medical conditions for domiciliary care allowance will satisfy the medical conditions for disability allowance. However, there is not an automatic right to disability allowance which is a means-tested payment.