Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 6 Jun 1996

Vol. 466 No. 5

Written Answers. - Disabled Persons.

Trevor Sargent

Ceist:

86 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for Health the number of disabled persons in this State; the sources from which this information is compiled; if he has satisfied himself regarding the accuracy of this figure; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11892/96]

Minister for Health (Mr. Noonan,

Limerick East): The information available on people with a disability is not such as to provide an overall figure of the number of such persons. If one excludes the dependent elderly, many of whom have disabilities, the main groups affected are those with a mental handicap, a physical or sensory disability and those with a psychiatric disability. Work is well advanced on the establishment of a database on people with a mental handicap which will be used for the further development of services for that group.

Detailed information on the numbers of people in the State with physical and sensory disabilities is not available. I am aware that the review group on services for people with physical and sensory disabilities endeavoured to estimate the incidence of disability using a number of possible measures, such as the number of recipients of disability-related allowances and benefits. However, the group was concerned at the accuracy of the results reached and will be making recommendations for the establishment of a national database on persons with a physical or sensory disability. Its report will be completed in the near future.

In relation to people with a psychiatric disability, information is available on the number of persons with such a disability in the care of the mental health services in the annual reports on the mental health services published by the Health Research Board.