Vol. 476 No. 5
102 Miss M. Wallace asked the Minister for Health the way in which the domiciliary care allowance is applied to parents of children with spina bifida; if the allowance is means tested or is an automatic allowance; the improvements, if any, which will be made by his Department regarding the payment of domiciliary care allowance in this regard. [7700/97]
Limerick East): Domicilary 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 disabled that they need care and attention which is considerably in excess of that normally required by a child of the same age. Eligibility for the DCA is determined primarily by reference to the level of care and attention which the child requires rather than the type of disability involved. While the means of the parents are not taken into account, any income the child might have, for example, compensation awards, is assessable.
The report of the Commission on the Status of People with Disabilities, which was published last year, recommends that the administration of DCA should be transferred to the Department of Social Welfare. An interdepartmental task force will be submitting a detailed action plan on the implementation of the report to Government by 30 June 1997.
