Theresa Ahearn
Ceist:180 Mrs. T. Ahearn asked the Minister for Health if he will provide additional funds to the South Tipperary Liaison Group of Service Providers; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Written Answers. - South Tipperary Liaison Group of Service Providers.
I would like to inform the Deputy that the mental handicap agencies in the South Tipperary Liaison Group are funded primarily through the South-Eastern Health Board. The provision of additional funding for existing services is a matter, in the first instance, for the South-Eastern Health Board.
In 1992 an allocation of £850,000 was made available to the south-eastern region to develop new services for people with mental handicap. These new developments were agreed and implemented in line with the priorities identified by the South-Eastern Mental Handicap Co-ordinating Committee, on which the County Tipperary Association is represented.
The following additional services in South Tipperary were provided in 1992 with the additional funding allocated: six workshop and five residential places by the Tipperary Community Workshop; eight activation and eight residential places by the County Tipperary Association; eight residential places and one respite place by Camphill Community, Grangemockler and increased services in the Cashel Day Care Centre.
The south-eastern board also increased their paramedical staff to provide a more comprehensive service to pre-schools, day care centres and residential centres, which benefited clients in South Tipperary.
The Programme for a Partnership Government includes a commitment to the provision of additional funding to speed up the implementation of the report of the Review Group on Mental Handicap Services —"Needs and Abilities".
I am not yet in a position to give details of developments which may be put in place in 1993 as the level of funding which may be made available for such developments will not be decided until budget time.