Denis Foley
Ceist:183 Mr. Foley asked the Minister for Social Welfare the cost benefit of his Department administering the disabled person's maintenance allowance scheme instead of the health boards. [14561/96]
Written Answers. - Disability Allowance.
Disabled person's maintenance allowance is administered at present by the health boards using a variety of different administrative systems. The transfer of the scheme to the Department will mean that it will in future be operated from one centralised location and using computerised facilities will give greater scope for a more streamlined operation than is possible at present. The integration of the scheme with other income maintenance schemes operated by the Department also offers possibilities for improved management and other information which will feed into the onging review of the social welfare system. I am satisfied that the transfer of the scheme, apart from having obvious merit from a policy viewpoint, will also result in a more efficient and cost-effective system overall and enable the provision of an improved service to the people concerned.