Vol. 423 No. 1
298 Mr. V. Brady asked the Minister for Health if, with reference to representations of 17 June 1992 he will advise Deputy Vincent Brady of the present position with regard to funding for a hospital (details supplied) in County Dublin.
I would like to inform the Deputy that I met representatives of St. Joseph's Association for the Mentally Handicapped on 5 August 1992 at which the needs of people with a mental handicap resident in St. Joseph's Service, St. Ita's Hospital were discussed.
I must point out that the funding of St. Ita's Hospital is a matter, in the first instance, for the Eastern Health Board. The board is of the view that the large institutional buildings on the campus of St. Ita's Hospital are unsuitable to accommodate people with a mental handicap. In 1991 two of the former staff houses on the campus were converted into hostels for clients of the service which facilitated the closure of one of the main institutional units. The Eastern Health Board intends to open a further 23 places in three other group homes on the campus in the next few weeks. This will facilitate the closure of a further institutional unit. The board plans to continue this process of transfer from the institutional accommodation. Before any client is transferred, his or her individual needs are assessed, and an individual programme plan agreed. Parents are actively involved in the transfer and the preparation of programme plans. The board has also embarked on the provision of a comprehensive range of community services in North County Dublin with the initial aim of preventing inappropriate new admissions of people with mental handicap to St. Ita's Hospital. A capital allocation of £200,000 has been made available to the board this year, from the additional funds for the development of mental handicap services, towards the provision of these community services.
