Vol. 357 No. 8
asked the Minister for Health when it is anticipated the appropriate funds will be made available to Cheeverstown House so that the portion of Cheeverstown which is to provide residential care for severely handicapped children will become operational.
3.
asked the Minister for Health when funds will be allocated to Cheeverstown House to provide staff for the five fully equipped ten-bed bungalows which cannot otherwise be utilised despite the huge waiting list for mentally retarded persons seeking residential care.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 2 and 3 together. I am fully aware of the waiting list for residential accommodation in the Eastern Health Board area. It is a cause of considerable concern to me. For these reasons in February 1984 I approved the recruitment of 151 staff and of expenditure up to £481,000 for the commissioning of phase I of Cheeverstown House which would consist of 50 residential places and 124 day care places.
The position to date is that 74 staff have been recruited and 61 day places out of 124 are operational but I regret that the Cheeverstown authorities did not find it possible to bring any residential places into operation in 1984.
In March of this year senior officers of my Department met with representatives of Cheeverstown to discuss the continuation of the commissioning of phase I of the centre. At this meeting the Cheeverstown representatives were requested to submit certain information regarding the residential element of phase I. That information has been received within the last few days. I will be considering with my Department the possibility of commissioning residential places in the light of the resources at my disposal this year.
I asked in Question No. 3 about funds required to provide staff for the existing bungalows. Five fully equipped ten-bed bungalows are available which could be used next week. The Minister has stated that he is concerned about the long waiting list for residential care. The facilities are available, the bungalows are fully equipped, but the handicapped children who could get residential care there cannot move in because there are no staff. Does the Minister intend to provide the funds so that the necessary staff can be employed at Cheeverstown House? If he intends to provide the funds, within what time scale will he provide those essential funds?
Last year I provided for Cheeverstown £841,000 for the commissioning of phase I which included 50 residential places and 124 day care places. Of that £841,000 only £345,000 was spent. This year I have provided for Cheeverstown an allocation of £1.5 million in my Estimates. I have been pressing the authorities at Cheeverstown to recruit qualified staff and open up the various facilities and units in the complex. Again when we had a meeting on 19 March last they were asked to bring forward details of what they propose to do. Last year they had more than enough money. This year Cheeverstown has more than enough money. There is £1.5 million there. I hope they will spend the £1.5 million this year.
Why was it not possible for Cheeverstown to have the residential places ready last year?
Because the process of staff assessment and the assessment of mentally handicapped persons to be brought into the place did not proceed at a sufficiently fast pace to enable the money to be spent and the facilities to be opened up.
Why did that happen?
Because the authorities themselves did not do so. It was not the Department.
The Minister said he asked the authorities at Cheeverstown for the necessary details and that he got those details within the last few days. Now that he has the details from Cheeverstown House can the Minister indicate when he will be in a position to make the funds available to the authorities to allow them to employ the staff?
The information was received only in the past few days. The information is being examined. I make the point that as far back as February 1984, 151 head of staff were sanctioned. At the end of 1984, 151 staff were not employed. The number was far lower than that. There is no delay on my part. I am disappointed that the intake of clients — if I may use that term — and the recruitment of personnel have been slow and disappointing.
The Minister now has these details. When they are examined will he give the House an assurance that he will make the funds available even at this late stage and that there will be no further delay on anybody's part?
Having made £1.5 million available for 1985, the money is there but I wonder if, at the end of 1985, £1.5 million will be spent. Last year we made £830,000 available and £345,000 was spent. There is no question of money not being made available. I had the acutely embarrassing experience of having gone to Government and obtained the money, but it was not spent. That is unusual in the health services but that is what happened.
