Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 19 Jun 2002

Vol. 553 No. 3

Written Answers. - Services for People with Disabilities.

Richard Bruton

Ceist:

118 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Health and Children his estimate of the additional care places for people with disabilities required over the next five years; and the additional number to end the inappropriate use of psychiatric hospitals for this purpose. [14107/02]

Minister for Health and Children (Mr. Martin)

In April 1999, information from the National Intellectual Disability Database indicated that in the period 2000 to 2004, 1,677 new residential and 912 new day places were required to meet the identified needs for these services. Since 2000, over 900 new residential and over 2,000 new day places have been provided. It should be noted that in addition to the day places required to meet the needs of those awaiting placement in the services as mentioned above, the additional funding also provided for those requiring a change in day services, for example, young people leaving school and requiring rehabilitative training places or those moving from rehabilitative training to other areas of the services such as sheltered work, activation or services for older people. In relation to residential services, in some cases, an enhanced level of support would also have been provided for those already in receipt of some level of residential services.

My Department is reviewing on an ongoing basis the position in relation to the implementation of this development programme with the Eastern Regional Health Authority and the health boards. Information will be available within the next few weeks from the National Intellectual Disability Database in relation to the level of service provision and identified need as of 31 May 2001, which will reflect the impact of the 2000 development programme. Further information in respect of service provision and identified need as of 31 May 2002, will be available later this year. This information will also assist my Department in this matter. The national monitoring committee, which is representative of my Department, the Health Research Board, the chief executives of the health boards, the National Federation of Voluntary Bodies Providing Services to People with Intellectual Disability, the National Parents and Siblings Alliance and the National Association for the Mentally Handicapped of Ireland are also involved in the monitoring of this programme.

The number of persons with an intellectual disability accommodated in psychiatric hospitals in May 2002 was 485, down from 970 in 1996. There is a specific reference to this programme in the health strategy with the objective of completing the programme as soon as possible and not later than 2006. It is also included in the programme for Government. I would like to assure the Deputy that the Government is committed to fulfilling the commitment which it gave in relation to meeting the needs of this population group, as outlined in the programme for Government.