Vol. 468 No. 4
136 Miss Coughlan asked the Minister for Health if albino children are eligible for a domiciliary care allowance in each health board area; if so, the number of children in receipt of such an allowance in each health board area; and the medical parameters used to decide eligibility in particular visual acuity. [15043/96]
Limerick East): Domiciliary care allowance is paid by health boards in respect of children between the ages of two and 16 years who are so severely physically or mentally handicapped that they require care and attention which is considerably in excess of that normally required by a child of the same age.
Eligibility for this allowance is deterimined primarily by reference to the degree of care and attention required by the child rather then the type of handicap involved and because of this information on the handicaps of each child in receipt of DCA is not collected by health boards. If any albino child, in the opinion of a health board, required extra care and attention that child's parents would qualify for DCA. There were 8,125 people in reciept of DCA at 31 December, 1995.
