(Carlow-Kilkenny): Tonight I want to discuss the hardships caused to parents of children and adults with mental handicap. It is incredible that parents who have children with disability have to go out with boxes collecting, day in, day out, year in, year out, to see their children get a chance in life. I have some knowledge of the cost imposed on the parents and friends in Carlow since I have been involved with the training centre for young people with disability. I use Carlow as an example because what happens in Carlow happens across the country, including the Minister's county of Wexford. I was amazed to discover that this year alone because the training centre was extended, the parents and friends contributed the sum of £36,000, comprising the capital expense of £20,000 and the running costs of £16,000. On top of that they still have to provide money for St. Lazerian's Special School and Teach Sonais, which is a home from home for the trainees in the training centre. The £36,000 that has been used in the Delta Centre is not the centre's full bill for this year; that amount might be only half its bill. In 1992 its overall expenses were £25,000; in 1991, it was £36,000; and in 1990 it spent £56,000. Since 1990 it has spent a total of £83,000 on capital expenses and £70,000 on running expenses, which gives a total of £153,000, an absolutely staggering figure. All this money was raised on a voluntary basis, by organising such events as sponsored walks, cabarets, cake sales and envelope collections. Is it not time that people who have children with a disability, whether mental or physical, were given a fair crack of the whip?
During the weekend I met a person from Cork involved with the Cope organisation, a body that has to raise £150,000 this year. In regard to the Rehabilitation Institute, which does such wonderful work in training, there is a cap of £10,000 on its lottery prize money which puts it at a disadvantage because it cannot compete with the national lottery. People will gamble their £1 on the national lottery rather than on the Rehabilitation Institute lottery because they stand the chance of winning more money. It is time that the Rehabilitation Institute was allowed raise its prize money so that people would be encouraged to give their money to a deserving cause. The Rehabilitation Institute too deserves a fair crack of the whip.
Before the last election the Minister's party made promises about appointing a Minister in charge of this area and said they would make £25 million available for this purpose. Perhaps the Ministers for Health and Education could work together in this regard. The Government has already allocated £8 million — I do not want a discussion on this matter — but why should parents who already contribute to the parish school have to pay for extensions and repairs to the special school which their child is attending? If a national school needs new furniture or a roof extension the whole parish is involved in contributing towards the expense. However, in regard to the special schools, only the parents of the children attending the school as well as their friends contribute. A cap should be put on the amount of money parents and friends pay. A 30 per cent contribution is acceptable if one is talking about £5,000 but an extension costing £100,000 is a different matter. Surely the State has a duty to provide training centres for people with a disability, mental or physical. It is not good enough to provide 70 or 80 per cent of the cost. We should go out of our way to help people with a disability. Parents have enough problems trying to help these people without having to attend meetings night after night to discuss fund-raising events.
At certain weekends the national lottery adds £1 million as an extra bonus prize and that money would be far better spent on facilities for the mentally handicapped. Most people believe it is obscene to give £1 million to one individual. If it was shared in this way it would make a tremendous difference to many people. I hope the Minister will have good news in this regard.
