Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 16 Dec 1993

Vol. 437 No. 4

Written Answers. - Mental Handicap Services.

Noel Ahern

Ceist:

180 Mr. N. Ahern asked the Minister for Health if he will give details of the waiting lists from the various health boards for residential and day service for the mentally handicapped; if, for the Eastern Health Board area, he will give a breakdown with figures for each of the catchment areas serviced by the various agencies; and if he will allocate the extra resources being provided towards the areas most in need, particularly the northside of Dublin serviced by St. Michael's House where waiting lists are exceptionally long.

Minister for Health (Mr. Howlin)

From information currently available within the various health board regions, the number of people with a mental handicap awaiting services in 1993 is as follows:

	Residential Places	Day Places	Total Places
East	589	483	1,072
Midland	41	42	83
Mid-West	251	54	305
North East	106	99	205
North West	43	30	73
South East	107	470	577
Southern	99	178	277
West	45	65	110
Total	1,281	1,421	2,702

Services for people with mental handicap in the eastern region are provided by a number of direct-funded agencies and the Eastern Health Board. The region is divided into ten community care areas for the purposes of administering the services. The following is a breakdown of the waiting lists for each of the community care areas:

	Day	Residential
Community Care Area 1	24	79
(Served by St. John of God)
Community Care Area 2	10	54
(Served by St. Michael's House)
Community Care Area 3	18	52
(Served by St. John of God's, St. Michael's House, Eastern Health Board)
Community Care Area 4	54	84
(Served by Cheeverstown House, Stewart's Hospital, Eastern Health Board)
Community Care Area 5	78	54
Served by Stewart's Hospital, St. Michael's House)
Community Care Area 6	107	62
(Served by Daughters of Charity, St. Michael's House)
Community Care Area 7	27	57
(Served by St. Michael's House)
Community Care Area 8	37	85
(Served by St. Michael's House, Eastern Health Board)
Community Care Area 9	74	33
(Served by KARE, Moore Abbey, St. John of God's)
Community Care Area 10	54	29
(Served by Sunbeam House, Co. Wicklow Association)
	483	589

The Government is making available an additional £12.5 million in 1994 to develop services for people with mental handicap and their families. This funding will build on the improvements resulting from the additional funding of £14.5 million made available in 1992 and 1993. The precise services to be provided in each region will be decided in consultation with the regional mental handicap co-ordinating committees. St. Michael's House is represented on the co-ordinating committee for the eastern region.