Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 9 Oct 2002

Vol. 554 No. 5

Written Answers. - Community Support Services.

Mary Upton

Ceist:

1136 Dr. Upton asked the Minister for Health and Children if, in line with the Government White Paper Supporting Voluntary Activity, he has appointed a voluntary activity unit responsible for his Department's co-operation with voluntary and community organisations; if so, the unit's personnel, activities and work to date; if not, the reason therefor; and the personnel in his Department responsible for co-operation with voluntary and community organisations. [16738/02]

Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children (Mr. T. O'Malley):

The voluntary sector has a high level of involvement with regard to the delivery of health related services across a range of sectors and no single unit of my Department deals solely with voluntary organisations. Accordingly, the Department of Health and Children's voluntary activity unit, VAU, is representative of a number of divisions from the Department. These are: health services for people with disabilities, travellers and homeless adults; services for older people; mental health services; environmental health unit; finance unit; childcare policy unit; acute hospitals division; health promotion-women's health; community health; and blood policy division.

Overall responsibility for co-ordination of communications currently rests with the disability services unit. To date, the VAU has provided comments on the significant number of applications for funding from health related organisations as requested by the White Paper implementation unit in the former Department of Social, Community and Family Affairs. My Department is in regular communication with the White Paper implementation unit, which is now within the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs and is fully participating in the implementation of the White Paper, including co-chairing the implementation and advisory group, which is monitoring the overall implementation of the White Paper. In addition, my Department meets regularly with a range of voluntary organisations and policy decisions are informed by discussions with the relevant stakeholders, including health boards and voluntary organisations.