Geraldine Feeney (Fianna Fail)

Like other speakers, I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I also welcome the report of the National Disability Authority and commend the body on its excellent work on behalf of those suffering with disability. It is recognised, maybe not by all sides of this House but by those outside it, that the huge investment of funds by this and the previous Government has gone a long way to lighten and lift the burden of those suffering with disability and their carers. At a time such as this, when we talk about autism, the Special Olympics or any type of disability, I always use my health board area as a barometer. Nationally, that is a good way to go because what is good for the North Western Health Board is good for the boards in the east, west and south.

Officials and those who have gained from the investments made in the North Western Health Board are delighted with the investment made. An investment of €20 million has been made in learning disability over the past three years. That is a huge investment in such an area. My mind boggles when I ask how much investment has been made in areas outside learning disability. If that is not enough, I was told a half an hour ago that a further investment of €2.1 million was made last July. I say that tongue-in-cheek because the day will come when I will go begging to the Minister of State saying we have no money and he will say I am on record as saying I was delighted with the investment made.

There are 1,836 people with a learning disability in my health board area. Some 444 are living in Donegal and 892 in Sligo-Leitrim. The majority, 86%, live at home, 19% are in residential services and 12% are in small community home groups. In my opinion, and in that of those availing of the service, the service is running well and has major supports. The supports come in many different forms but there is one which provides support to carers. There are 338 carers in my health board area and they provide 35,000 hours per year of home help and carer support. They go shopping for or to day care with the person they are looking after. The sufferer could not manage without that support which must be acknowledged. We also have two child psychiatrists with a special interest in learning disability and I am told approval for a third is currently being processed. There is a total of ten psychiatrists in the health area, two of whom have a special interest in learning disability or other intellectual disability.

The Minister of State will be interested to hear that some of the investment in our health board area has been used to carry out a review of the learning disability needs assessment, which was touched upon by Senator O'Toole. A plan has been put in place and all those with learning disabilities, their parents, families and carers were interviewed. A plan has now been put in place for their future for the next 15 to 20 years. As Senator O'Toole pointed out, people with special needs or learning disabilities age more quickly than do the able bodied. How many times have we met parents of those with disabilities who live their lives worrying about what will happen to their son or daughter when they die? They feel it is a terrible burden to ask a brother or sister to look after a sibling with a handicap. I know the North Western Health Board is the only one to have carried out such a review. Perhaps it might be looked at and used as a blueprint for other areas. I know it has a plan in place for all its people when they reach the age of 55 and upwards. They will be put into retirement homes. Some of them will be allocated places near where they originally came from and that is also good for people.

We have 400 dual diagnosis patients, which is 400 too many. Having carried out a little research before I came in to speak today, I feel there is a problem. It has not been highlighted by other speakers. It is almost a blocking point when someone with a learning disability turns up at a psychiatric unit. There is a fear that the person is coming from sheltered accommodation or a residential home and that there may not be a willingness to take him or her out when the person starts to feel a little better. That is only something that I have felt from talking to different people, but perhaps the Minister might examine it. I would hate to think that a consultant or group of consultants were blocking something on such a basis.

One of the recommendations of the report is for four regional units to be geographically distributed. They must be available to support community teams by providing specialist acute assessment and treatment for the dual diagnosis group. I agree with that and the community and multidisciplinary teams are essential if we are to make progress. However, I fear we are becoming too regional. I envisage in my area that, if our regional unit was based in Galway, someone from as far away as the Inishowen peninsula would have a drive of more than five hours to get there. A person who already has special needs is vulnerable. They have vulnerable minds and one is taking them away from their own setting. I would like more clarification of that point. Otherwise, I can take it up with the people who commissioned the report.

Finally, as I said before, the Minister is very caring and compassionate and we in the House know that. The report is in his good hands. I ask him to address the needs, particularly those of the dual diagnosis group, because it is at this that the report is really getting.