Vol. 510 No. 1
110 Ms Clune asked the Minister for Health and Children if, further to the publication of the report Towards a Standardised Framework for Intercountry Adoption Assessment Procedures, extra funds have been allocated to the Southern Health Board to enable it to commence work on the implementation of the report's recommendations; and the level of the additional funding of £500,000 allocated to the board. [21920/99]
111 Ms Clune asked the Minister for Health and Children if extra resources made available to the foreign adoption unit of the Southern Health Board have resulted in the recruitment of extra social workers for the unit; the number of applicants on the waiting list for adoption assessment in the Southern Health Board region; and the average waiting time for commencement of assessments in the region. [21921/99]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 110 and 111 together.
The Southern Health Board was allocated a sum of £108,000 in 1999 to commence work on the implementation of the report's recommendations. The board has advised that the funding is being used to recruit additional social workers and administrative staff and also to improve office accommodation and interview facilities for the adoption services. Three additional social workers have been recruited.
The average waiting time for assessment in the region is currently estimated at two years approximately. This has been reducing. While the current number on the waiting list is 184, the board envisage greater reductions in the waiting list given the increase in the number of social workers in the service from 3.5 to 9.5 in the past 12 months.
