May 12 2010

Parliamentary Questions

• Progress made in acting on recommendations of ‘Getting There — Transport and Access to Social Services’
• Funding to National Disability Authority in the past three years
• Housing Grant Funding to Tipperary Co. Co.
• Changes to Dental Treatment Scheme

PARLIAMENTARY QUESTIONS

• Progress made in acting on recommendations of ‘Getting There — Transport and Access to Social Services’

Deputy Fergus O’Dowd (FG): asked the Minister for Transport the progress made to date in acting upon the recommendations of the report Getting There — Transport and Access to Social Services.

Minister for Transport (Deputy Noel Dempsey): The Citizens Information Board’s Report “Getting There — Transport and Access to Social Services” explores a range of issues relating to the availability of transport services and the supporting measures and schemes to enable people access transport appropriate to their needs. The matters raised in the report fall within the competence of a number of Departments and public bodies, including my Department, the Department of Social Protection, the Department of Health and Children, the Department of Education and Skills, the Revenue Commissioners and the Health Services Executive. The report raises issues which my Department had recognised as important in developing rural transport and in making transport accessible, and these are already being progressed. The Transport Sectoral Plan under the Disability Act 2005, Transport for All, provides for the delivery of an accessible public transport system by 2015. In addition, a number of initiatives are currently underway in the country exploring the potential for better integration of services between existing transport providers, which include Bus Éireann, Rural Transport Programme groups, the HSE, and the Irish Wheelchair Association. 

• Funding to National Disability Authority in the past three years

Deputy Jack Wall (L): asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the amount of funding provided to the National Disability Authority in the past three years; the plans he has to expand such funding;

Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform (Deputy Dermot Ahern): The funding provided to the National Disability Authority in the past three years was as follows: €4.791m in 2008 (outturn); €4.357m in 2009 (outturn); and €5.617m in 2010 (allocation). The allocation of funding to the N.D.A. in 2010 is reasonable in circumstances where both my Department and other agencies under my remit have seen significant reductions in their allocations. 

• Housing Grant Funding to Tipperary Co. Co.

Deputy Tom Hayes (FG): asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the amount of funding that has been allocated to South Tipperary County Council every year for the past five years in respect of Housing Aid for the Elderly, Housing Adaption Grants, Mobility Aid Grants, in tabular form.

Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government (Deputy Michael Finneran): My Department’s involvement with the Housing AdaptationGrant Schemes for Older People and People with a Disability relates primarily to the recoupmentof a proportion of local authority expenditure on the payment of individual grants. Thegrant schemes, introduced in November 2007, are funded by 80% recoupment available frommy Department together with a 20% contribution from the resources of the local authority.The detailed administration of the schemes, including the assessment and approval of applications,is the responsibility of the relevant local authority.Details of the allocations for the period 2006 to 2010, incorporating the Exchequer contributionand the co-funding provided by South Tipperary County Council are set out in thefollowing table.

Year Allocation                                                 €               

2006                                                              1,059,095         

2007                                                              882,395

2008                                                              1,358,885

2009                                                              2,193,750

2010                                                              3,126,666  

• Changes to Dental Treatment Scheme

Deputy Tom Hayes (FG): asked the Minister for Health and Children the changes that have been made to the dental treatment service scheme in relation to adults and children in recent months; the services that are now available under this scheme for adults and children;

Minister for Health and Children (Deputy Mary Harney): The Dental Treatment Services Scheme (DTSS) provides dental treatment to medical cardholders over the age of 16. In line with the decision taken in Budget 2010, the HSE has introduced measures to contain DTSS expenditure at the 2008 level of approximately €63 million. This reflects the imperative to achieve overall reductions in public expenditure while providing essential health services to patients. Under the new measures, some dental treatments will be limited and some will no longer be available. Other existing dental treatments will continue to be provided in circumstances where the dentist is satisfied of the patients’ emergency clinical need. The HSE will monitor the ongoing effect of these changes from a clinical and budgetary perspective. The HSE will also be providing ongoing clinical guidance and advice to individual dentists in relation to the changes to the scheme. These changes do not affect the Public Dental Service, which provides dental treatment to children and special needs patients.

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