Vol. 495 No. 7
406 Mr. Farrelly asked the Minister for Health and Children if he has received an application from the North-Eastern Health Board for extra respite facilities for the disabled in view of the fact that the existing facility in County Meath (details supplied) is not capable of handling the numbers requiring this service; the plans, if any, he has to approve funding for this service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20981/98]
The statutory responsibility for the provision of services to persons with a mental handicap in the County Meath region lies with the North-Eastern Health Board. The facility referred to by the Deputy was originally developed by the board to offer long-term residential placements together with respite facilities. However, due to a number of unforeseen emergency cases which have arisen over the last eighteen months, the respite beds have been utilised by clients requiring full time residential placements. The need for these placements resulted from elderly parents, who had been the main carers, being hospitalised and unable to continue to care for their adult son/daughter. The North-Eastern Health Board has informed me that although only one respite place is currently available in this facility, the board is endeavouring to accommodate clients in need of respite care in conjunction with the voluntary mental handicap agencies which provide services in the region. Earlier this year I also asked the health boards to begin to put in place mechanisms to assist them in managing the emergency cases which arise within their regions, with a view to providing continued access to respite facilities by those who require them.
I understand that the development of further respite facilities, including one in the Navan area, has been identified as a priority need for the region. 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 1999.
