June 24 2009

Parliamentary Questions

• Funding for capital assistance scheme
• Funding to each local authority for housing adaptation grants
• Data on housing allocated to people with disabilities
• Medical Hardship Fund
• Funding for disability services in South Tipperary
• Criteria for Domiciliary Care Allowance
• Policy regarding conductive education

PARLIAMENTARY QUESTIONS

• Funding for capital assistance scheme

Deputy Arthur Morgan (SF): asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the level of funding which has been administered by the Health Service Executive through his Department for the capital assistance scheme for each of the past five years; and the reason for reductions in funding.

Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government (Deputy Michael Finneran): Under my Department’s Capital Assistance scheme, funding ofup to 100% of the approved cost is provided, through the local authorities, to approved housingbodies for the provision of accommodation for groups with special housing needs including theelderly, the homeless and persons with an intellectual or physical disability. Details of thecapital funding provided under the scheme for the past five years are set out in the followingtable:

Approved housing bodies that provide sheltered housing under the scheme normally provide on-site support for tenants where necessary. However, where a higher level of support is needed, this may be done with assistance from the Health Service Executive (HSE). The HSE introduced a scheme of dedicated funding for sheltered housing in 2006, with funding of €0.5 million provided. A further €0.5 million was provided in 2007, increasing to €1.1 million in 2008. It is a matter for the HSE to agree the level of funding for 2009.

• Funding to each local authority for housing adaptation grants

Deputy Aengus O’Snodaigh (SF): asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the levels of funding he has provided to each local authority for grants in respect of adaptations or extensions to private housing under the housing adaptation grant schemes for older people and people with a disability, and the mobility aids grant scheme for each of the past five years; and if this funding has matched the level of need.

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. Theseschemes, introduced in November 2007, are funded by 80% recoupment available from myDepartment, together with 20% contribution from the resources of the local authority. In thecase of the old Disabled Persons and Essential Repairs grant schemes these are funded by 67%recoupment, together with a 33% contribution from the resources of the local authority. Thedetailed administration of these schemes, including the assessment and approval of individualapplications, is the responsibility of the relevant local authority.The annual allocations to local authorities under the schemes are calculated on foot ofdetailed discussion between my Department and the local authorities and on the basis of anumber of criteria, including the level of applications on hand that have been assessed aseligible, applications yet to be assessed and projections for new applications to be receivedduring the year. It is a matter for each local authority to decide on the specific level of fundingto be directed towards each of the individual schemes, from within the combined allocationnotified to them by my Department, and to manage the operation of the schemes in their areasfrom within their allocation.Details of Exchequer funding provided to local authorities for these schemes for each of theyears 2005 to 2008 and total allocations for 2009 from Exchequer and local authority sourcesare set out in the following table. Data for 2005 and 2006 relate to the Disabled Persons andEssential Repairs Grants. Data for 2007 onwards also includes the Housing Adaptation Grantsfor Older People and People with a Disability, as well as the Mobility Aids Grant scheme.

• Data on housing allocated to people with disabilities

Deputy Martin Ferris (SF): asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the reason he will not collect data on the proportion of housing allocated by local authorities to people with disabilities; and if he will collect this information in future.

Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government (Deputy Michael Finneran): The data my Department currently collects in relation to allocationsare limited to the total number of lettings made by an authority in an individual year.The Central Statistics Office, however, collects data on the number of people with a disabilityand the types of accommodation in which people with disabilities live, including local authorityhousing. The 2006 census shows that 12% of people with disabilities are renting accommodationfrom a local authority.In addition to this, the tri-annual housing needs assessment, which is undertaken by localauthorities, seeks to identify the number of people with a disability who require housing withina local authority area and the household’s specific accommodation requirements. This informationis used to assist the authority in its plan for addressing housing need within their functionalarea.The national housing strategy for people with a disability is being progressed by my Department,with assistance from a National Advisory Group under the aegis of the Housing Forum,which involves a range of relevant stakeholders including the National Disability Authority. Itis intended that this strategy will be finalised by the end of 2009, and as part of this processmy Department will consider further the collection of data in relation to the housing of personswith disabilities.

• Medical Hardship Fund

Deputy Noel Ahern (FF): asked the Minister for Health and Children if she will clarify the position with respect to the Medical Hardship Fund; if it applies to persons not qualifying for a medical card seeking assistance with daily hospital in-patient charges and prescriptions charges; the criteria and so on which apply;

Minister for Health and Children (Deputy Mary Harney): While there is no scheme known as the Medical Hardship Fund, the granting of a medical card is based on the avoidance of undue hardship on the part of cardholders in meeting their medical needs. Those who are not eligible for a medical card may still be able to avail of a GP visit card, which covers the cost of general practice consultations. Medical card holders are exempted from payment of in patient charges and their prescribed drugs and medicines are provided free of charge. In addition, people in the following categories are exempt from payment of in-patient charges:

• women receiving services in respect of motherhood;
• children up to the age of six weeks;
• children referred for treatment from child health clinics and school health examinations;
• children suffering from diseases or disabilities prescribed under section 52 (2) of the Health Act 1970;
• persons receiving services for the diagnosis or treatment of infectious diseases prescribed under the Health Act, 1947;
• long-stay patients who are already subject to a charge; and
• holders of a Health (Amendment) Act Card

Furthermore, under the Drugs Payment Scheme (DPS), which was introduced in 1999, no individual or family unit pays more than €100 per calendar month towards the cost of approved prescribed medicines. The scheme is easy to use and significantly reduces the cost burden for families and individuals incurring ongoing expenditure on medicines.

• Funding for disability services in South Tipperary

Deputy Tom Hayes (FG): asked the Minister for Health and Children if she will release funding for new residential placements in disability services in south Tipperary in view of the fact that the funding released to date has only covered persons who were on 2007 waiting lists; if people on 2008 and 2009 waiting lists who have a high priority level will be dealt with;

Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children (Deputy John Moloney): As the Deputy’s question relates to service matters I have arranged for the question to be referred to the Health Service Executive for direct reply.

• Criteria for Domiciliary Care Allowance

Deputy Paul Kehoe (FG): asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the medical criteria for the domiciliary care allowance scheme that must be met for an application to be successful;

Minister for Social and Family Affairs (Deputy Mary Hanafin): In order to qualify for Domiciliary Care Allowance a child must have a disability so severe that the child needs care and attention and/or supervision substantially in excess of another child of the same age. This care and attention must be given by another person, effectively all of the time, so that the child can deal with the activities of daily living. The child must be likely to require this level of care and attention for at least 12 months. Eligibility for Domiciliary Care Allowance is not based primarily on the impairment or disease, but on the resulting lack of function of body or mind necessitating a degree of extra care and attention required. Each application is assessed on an individual basis taking account of the evidence submitted. As there were no agreed national medical guidelines for the scheme while it was administered in the Health Service Executive, an Expert Medical Group was established in advance of the transfer of functions to this Department. This Group was chaired by this Department’s Chief Medical Advisor and comprised of medical personnel from the HSE as well as some eminent professionals in the areas of physical disabilities which affect children and child psychology. The primary purpose of this Group was to arrive at a consensus regarding the medical eligibility in order to qualify for Domiciliary Care Allowance from the Department with a view to ensuring a consistency in the application of the scheme rules. Every application is assessed by the Department Medical Assessors and an individual medical opinion, based on the information submitted by the applicant in support of their claim, is offered in each case. In the case of an application which is refused on medical grounds, the applicant may submit additional information and/or ask for the case to be reviewed by a different Medical Assessor specially designated for this task. Where a person is not satisfied with the decision of a Deciding Officer they may appeal the decision to the Social Welfare Appeals Office.

• Policy regarding conductive education

Deputy Fergus O’Dowd (FG): asked the Minister for Education and Science his policy in relation to conductive education;

Minister for Education and Science (Deputy Batt O’Keeffe): As the Deputy will be aware, the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs (EPSEN) Act 2004 provides that a child (defined as a person who is not more than 18 years) with special educational needs shall be educated in an inclusive environment unless such an arrangement is inconsistent with the best interests of the child as determined by an assessment carried out under the EPSEN Act or with the effective provision of education for those children with whom the child is to be educated. The policy of my Department is to secure the maximum possible level of inclusion of students with special educational needs in mainstream primary and post-primary schools in their locality. In supporting and promoting an inclusive education policy, supports are provided to schools through the National Council for Special Education so that children with special educational needs may attend their local mainstream school where possible. These supports may be in the form of resource teaching, special needs assistants and technological support. In addition, my Department funds over 100 special schools, including a number which cater for children with a physical disability. It is the policy of my Department that these special schools draw on a range of teaching and other interventions. In this context, I am aware that some schools have employed elements of conductive education which have been beneficial to some students with a motor disorder. My Department has however no plans at present to develop initiatives based exclusively on the principles of conductive education.

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