Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 9 Nov 1999

Vol. 510 No. 3

Written Answers. - Services for People with Disabilities.

Paul McGrath

Ceist:

267 Mr. McGrath asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of day care places, respite care places and personal assistants available to people with disabilities; if he will compare these numbers to those available in each of the past five years; his views on statements by representatives of people with disabilities that the Government has ignored commitments to provide additional facilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22463/99]

Minister for Health and Children (Mr. Cowen)

Since coming into office in 1997, I have invested a total of £91.162 million, by way of additional funding, in services for people with disabilities, including £53 million in mental handicap services and £38.162 million in physical and sensory disability services. This demonstrates the Government's serious commitment to developing these services.

The information sought in relation to day care places, respite care places and personal assistants is not available in the form requested by the Deputy. However, information from the national intellectual disability database indicated that, as at September 1996, 7,572 persons with an intellectual disability and autism were in receipt of five or seven day residential services and 14,989 persons were in receipt of day services, of whom 1,875 also received residential support services. A further 243 persons were identified as receiving residential support services only.

However, because of the fact that, for most people, respite services are provided as a secondary service, in addition to their primary service which would be either in educational or day placement, the level of reporting of this secondary service in 1996 did not fully reflect the level of respite services being provided. Data in respect of 1998, which I expect will be available shortly, will more fully reflect the level of respite service for people with an intellectual disability and autism and I will arrange for this information to be forwarded to the Deputy when it becomes available.

My Department's "Assessment of Need for Services for Persons with an Intellectual Disability 1999-2003" which is based on information from the national intellectual disability database, provides information on the current and future needs of persons with an intellectual disability and autism, including the need for residential-respite and day places. That assessment identified a requirement for 1,673 new residential-respite places and 952 new day places during the period 1999-2003.

This year I was pleased to be in a position to provide additional revenue funding of £12 million, with a full year cost of £18 million in 2000, to continue the process of meeting these needs. This funding will provide approximately 320 new residential places, 80 new respite places and 200 new day places. It will also provide additional health related support services for children with autism, continue the programme to transfer persons with a mental handicap from inappropriate placements and provide additional specialist and other support services. The provision of 80 new places specifically for respite care will enhance the level of respite services available to persons with an intellectual disability and autism.

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 recommended the provision of an additional 200 respite places, 100 residential places and 1,600 places in day service facilities during the period 1997 to 2001. The review group costed their recommendations as requiring a total of £50 million over the five year period with £16 million required for day care services, £6.5 million required for residential-respite places and £5 million required for personal assistance services.

There are currently 195 respite care places available to people with physical and sensory disabilities. This includes the additional 87 respite places put in place between 1997 and 1998. From the capital funding provided this year, a total of £520,000 has been allocated by the health boards for the provision of residential and respite care services and an additional eight respite places will be provided as a result of this funding. Between 1997 and 1998 a total of £841,000 additional funding was provided for day care services and a further £1,578,000 capital funding is being provided this year for these services.

A personal assistance service is provided in the eastern region by the Irish Wheelchair Association on behalf of the Eastern Health Board. This service currently employs 82 personal assistants providing a service to 52 individuals with disabilities at an annual cost of £789,000. This includes the extension of the service to 17 additional individuals on foot of additional funding provided in 1999. A limited personal assistance service is provided by other health boards. The Centre for Independent Living provides personal assistance services to about 230 people with disabilities through the use of FÁS trainees under the community employment scheme.

Regional co-ordinating committees for physical and sensory disability services have been put in place in each of the health boards. These committees, which comprise representatives of the voluntary and statutory agencies and people with disabilities themselves, function in a consultative and advisory capacity to the chief executive officers of the boards in identifying and prioritis ing service developments and the allocation of funding available for this purpose. The health boards were allocated a total of £3 million in 1999, with a full year cost of £6 million in the year 2000, for the development of services to people with physical and sensory disabilities. Finalised reports on the allocation of this funding are currently being drafted by a number of the health boards and, accordingly, final figures are unavailable at this time.