Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 15 December 2004
135 Mr. F. McGrath asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the position regarding the expansion of the services for persons with disabilities following Budget 2005; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33815/04]
View answer138 Mr. Stanton asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children if the allocation of an additional €205 million of current funding vote in 2005 announced in the Estimates will be ring fenced for services to persons with disabilities; if the multi-annual current funding for 2006 to 2009 of €500 million and the capital funding of €55 million in each of years 2006 to 2009 announced in budget 2005 will similarly be ring fenced to disability specific purposes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33857/04]
View answer139 Mr. Stanton asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the details of the 1,000 new frontline staff who are to be recruited in 2005 to provide services to persons with disabilities, as announced in her statement on the publication of the Estimates in November 2004; the details of the qualifications of such staff; the services they are to provide; the locations at which they will be assigned; when and the way in which they are to be recruited; the estimated cost of the provision of such new staff in 2005 and in a full year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33858/04]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 135, 138 and 139 together.
The additional funding of €205 million which was provided for services for people with disabilities, including those with mental illness, in the Estimates for 2005 includes funding to meet increased pay and non pay costs in existing services in addition to revenue funding amounting to €70 million for the development of new services.
Some €40 million of the additional revenue funding of €70 million is being allocated to services for persons with intellectual disability and those with autism to provide, in 2005, approximately 270 additional residential places; approximately 90 extra respite places; approximately 400 new day places; improved specialist support services for people with major challenging behaviour; and €2 million to meet costs associated with moving people with intellectual disability from psychiatric hospitals and other inappropriate placements.
An additional sum of €15 million is being allocated to services for people with physical or sensory disabilities to provide approximately 60 new places for people with significant disabilities who are currently placed in inappropriate settings; approximately 200,000 extra hours of home support and personal assistance in line with the current philosophy of independent living for people with disabilities; additional funding of €3 million for aids and appliances; approximately 90 extra rehabilitative training places; and additional funding to voluntary organisations.
An additional sum of €15 million is being allocated to mental health services to: provide staff and an additional 14 beds at the Central Mental Hospital; further develop the child and adolescent treatment services; expand community based adult mental health teams; provide additional community residential places; open new mental health facilities; and support voluntary organisations.
Capital funding amounting to €60 million is also being made available in 2005 to provide the infrastructure to support the above mentioned developments. Detailed information on the additional personnel required to deliver these new services will not be available until decisions have been made by the Health Services Executive, in consultation with the services, concerning the precise details of the various service elements and those who will benefit from them. The new personnel will however include consultant psychiatrists, nurses, social care staff, occupational and speech and language therapists and other front line personnel, who will be recruited in the normal manner specifically for the new services.
The funding outlined above for 2005, together with the multi-annual investment programme for the years 2006 to 2009, is being provided specifically for services for people with disabilities. My Department is putting in place protocols governing the expenditure and monitoring of the programme which will ensure that it is spent on the targeted services.
