Brendan Howlin
Ceist:11 Mr. Howlin asked the Minister for Health and Children if he has satisfied himself that adequate occupational therapy services are available in the Eastern Health Board area. [19836/97]
Written Answers. - Services for Disabled.
Enda Kenny
Ceist:39 Mr. Kenny asked the Minister for Health and Children the steps, if any, he will take to ensure that each health board provides a speech and language therapy service for patients who have suffered strokes and whose speech is as a consequence impaired; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19800/97]
Liz McManus
Ceist:50 Ms McManus asked the Minister for Health and Children the plans, if any, he has to provide greater residential day or respite services for those with a mental or physical disability; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19889/97]
Paul McGrath
Ceist:59 Mr. McGrath asked the Minister for Health and Children the progress, if any, which has been made on the recommendations in Towards an Independent Future that one hundred residential places be provided by each health board for people with disabilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19794/97]
Theresa Ahearn
Ceist:87 Mrs. T. Ahearn asked the Minister for Health and Children the time-frame, if any, for the implementation of the report Towards an Independent Future; the funding necessary for its implementation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19798/97]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 11, 39, 50, 59 and 87 together.
The report of the review group on health and personal social services for people with physical and sensory disabilities, Towards an Independent Future, which was published in December 1996, sets out the requirements for the development of the services, including day care, respite care, residential care, occupational therapy and speech and language therapy. The report makes specific recommendations for the provision of additional places and additional therapist posts. It estimates the cost of implementing all its recommendations at £50 million over a five year period.
The process of implementing the recommendations of the report is under way. As a first step, the health boards are in the process of putting in place the co-ordinating committees recommended by the review group to examine and prioritise the future development of services at local level. As recommended by the review group report, an additional £2.188 million was built into the health board allocations in 1997 to help put existing physical and sensory disability services on a more secure financial footing. In addition, a further £1 million revenue was provided in 1997 for priority developments mentioned in the report.
I recently approved a once-off grant of £600,000 towards the capital costs of Donamon Castle, County Roscommon, a new national centre providing residential, respite and day activity services for people with physical and sensory disabilities.
Recently the Government, with the agreement of my colleague Deputy Dermot Ahern, Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs, decided to devote £4.325 million savings on his Department's Vote to the purchase of aids, appliances and equipment for people with disabilities. It is estimated that about 11,000 people with disabilities will benefit.
In the context of a Supplementary Estimate for my Department I announced in the Dáil yesterday the provision of a further £4.5 million to be devoted to services for people with physical and sensory disabilities. Going into 1998, this Government has provided a total of over £9 million for these services. This is a significant commitment from the Government towards improving the quality of life of people with physical and sensory disabilities and will have a significant impact on services in 1998 and beyond.
My Department's Assessment of the Need for Services for Persons with a Mental Handicap 1997-2001, which is based on information from the national intellectual disability database, provides information on the current and future needs of persons with mental handicap, including the need for respite care facilities. Account will be taken of this need in the allocation of resources for the provision of new residential places. That assessment identified a requirement for 1,439 new residential-respite places and 1,036 new day places over the next five years. Additional funding of £12 million was made available in 1997 to begin the process of meeting these needs. As outlined in both Partnership 2000 for Inclusion, Employment and Competitiveness and An Action Programme for the Millennium, the Government is committed to the ongoing development of services for persons with a mental handicap in line with the needs outlined in that assessment.
I am not yet, however, in a position to comment on the overall level of funding which may be available for any particular service in 1998.