asked the Minister for Health if he will state (a) the number of institutions, including voluntary institutions, catering for mental defectives, and, in the case of voluntary institutions, the names of the control communities and the location of the institutions, and (b) the amount of and the nature of any State contribution paid to voluntary institutions and the number of patients catered for in each.

As the reply to the question is mainly in the form of a tabular statement, I propose, a Cheann Comhairle, with your permission to circulate it with the Official Report.

The reply is as follows:—

There are 12 approved residential institutions catering for mental defectives all of them being voluntary institutions. They are as follows:—

Direct State grants are not paid from the Health Vote to any of these institutions, but payments aggregating £1,361,500 have been made towards capital works from the Hospitals' Trust Fund, which, as the Deputy is aware, has in recent years been in receipt of subventions from the Exchequer.

Health authorities pay to these institutions the cost of maintenance and treatment of patients receiving services under the provisions of the Health Act, 1953, and the expenditure thus incurred is recouped to the extent of 50 per cent. from the Health Vote.

The grants and payments referred to above are exclusive of any amounts made available by the Minister for Education in respect of educational services provided in the institutions.