Vol. 476 No. 7
110 Mr. Callely asked the Minister for Health the issues, if any, that have been brought to his attention with regard to services for people with a mental handicap; his response, if any, to such issues; the submissions, if any, he has received in this regard; the additional services, if any, that will be put in place in 1997; and the level of additional services that are required. [7917/97]
Limerick East): I am kept informed of the issues of concern to people with a mental handicap, their parents and carers and the voluntary and statutory service providers, through a range of mechanisms. I receive a large number of representations which cover a broad range of issues from the need for the further development of services to individual cases. Officials in my Department regularly meet with the voluntary mental handicap agencies and service providers to discuss current and future developments. The priorities which I set in any year for the allocation of development moneys takes account of the feedback I receive from these sources.
Additional funding amounting to £12 million has been made available in 1997 for services to persons with a mental handicap. £2 million has been used to meet identified needs in existing services. The remaining £10 million, which was announced in the budget, is being used to provide new services in 1997 based on the priorities identified to me which are for residential and day places and for the continuation of the ongoing programme to transfer persons with a mental handicap from inappropriate care settings. The detailed decisions about the precise services to be provided will be taken by the Regional Mental Handicap Co-ordinating Committees on which parents and the voluntary sector are represented.
Information on the number of persons with a mental handicap in receipt of services or awaiting placement in either residential or day services is currently being compiled from the national intellectual disabilty database as part of the preparation of an assessment of need for the development of services to persons with a mental handicap.
