asked the Minister for Health the number of people in receipt of disability benefit from Kerry County Council on 1st January, 1971 and from the Southern Health Board on 1st June, 1971.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Disability Benefit Recipients.
11.
The furnishing of the information requested by the Deputy would be a matter for the Southern Health Board as I presume that his question relates to disabled persons maintenance allowance payable under the Health Acts in the board's area.
Is it possible to get information, such as that requested by Deputy Begley, in this House? Deputy Begley is not a member of the Southern Health Board and neither am I. They have little or no function but why not have this type of information here when 50 per cent of the cost is borne from central funds of which we are supposed to be in charge? This is a new departure.
I made it clear to some other Deputies that I was trying to decentralise the answering of questions that can properly be answered by health boards which are enlarged institutions and have staff available for this purpose. When there is no question of principle in which Government policy is involved, it is far better that Deputies and everybody concerned should take an interest in the statistics they wish to have from the health boards.
Surely the Minister is creating a most unwelcome precedent? Would I be right in saying that local authorities which were in fact the health authorities were always subject to Parliamentary question and that information sought from local authorities, from Departments and Ministers was always provided on the basis that there was a large Exchequer contribution, often 100 per cent in the cost of roads and 50 per cent or more in the case of health? Is this not a complete break with precedent? The Minister is, in fact, removing from Deputy Begley who is responsible by his vote here and from other Deputies, the opportunity to get the information upon which they can exert pressure and express views within their own political parties and get them to decide how to vote? Is the Minister not directly responsible——
The Deputy is making a long speech.
I disagree entirely with the Deputy and I shall not answer questions which relate purely to local matters. If the Deputy wishes to raise a question of principle he can do it but he should remember that within the next six months county advisory health committees will be appointed which can fight if they wish and determine if the policy in relation to a particular area of the health board is being exercised wisely. They can ask this sort of question of the county advisory board. They can have an examination of whether disability allowances are being properly paid or whether there is a difference in the method of payment between one county and another. If a question of a national principle arises, of course I shall reply to the Deputy here but there is no national principle involved here. I would wish that members of the House would become acquainted with the operation of the health boards and make the health boards answer questions of a purely local character.
(Cavan): Do I gather that the Minister is taking the attitude that he is not responsible for the day-to-day running of the health boards? If that is so, does it not seem extraordinary that question No. 9 implies that the health directors, or managers, or whatever they are, apparently will not give the information to members of the health board? Will the Minister stand for that sort of thing?
The Deputy is talking about an entirely different thing.
Are we to take it from the Minister's reply that the number of people in any area who are in receipt of disability benefit and who are suffering from a disease which disables them from work as a result of which they get a financial benefit, do not represent important statistical information for the Department of Health?
Of course, on a national basis, and if Deputy Begley gets these figures from the Southern Health Board and he has a question which relates to my responsibility for the payments of these benefits, as to whether for some reason there appears to be an inadequate number of allowances being paid in Kerry as compared with Cork, I am perfectly prepared——
Where does the Minister get the information?
Sir——
I am calling question No. 12. We cannot debate these health questions all evening.
(Interruptions.)
The Minister did not do so well today. He scored no points for Fianna Fáil——
Will Deputies please resume their seats?
As I am dissatisfied with the reply I propose to raise this matter on the Adjournment.
The Chair will communicate with the Deputy.