Hansard

Handicapped People

Volume 199: debated on Tuesday 19 November 1991

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Mr. Kilfedder

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what additional resources he is making available to health boards in Northern Ireland to ensure that the needs of handicapped people are provided for in the community.

Mr. Hanley

Health and social services boards in Northern Ireland have resources of £837 million available to them in 1991–92, an increase of almost £71 million over 1990–91. Within these additional resources, the following sums of money have been earmarked for a number of initiatives which will directly benefit people with a handicap living in the community:

  • (i) £2·6 million towards part implementation of the Disabled Persons (Northern Ireland) Act 1989, to meet the costs of additional assessments and services;
  • (ii) £2·847 million to provide community support for long-stay patients discharged from psychiatric and mental handicap hospitals;
  • (iii) £2·95 million for implementation of "People First" particularly to enable boards to establish inspection units and a complaints procedure and to improve social work training.