asked the Minister for Health the plans he has for the development of services for the mentally handicapped.

My views in relation to the development of services for people with mental handicap are contained in the Government Green Paper on Services for Disabled People — Towards a Full Life — with which I am sure the Deputy is familiar. I have also invited the views of agencies involved in the provision of services and their response to the Green Paper will, of course, be taken into full account when formulating policy on mental handicap issues.

This is part of the on-going dialogue which is a feature of the relationship which I and my Department have with groups involved in the provision of mental handicap services.

The Minister stated that his policy was fully outlined in the Green Paper on Services for Disabled People — Towards a Full Life. In reply to an earlier question he told us that he was unaware of any voluntary body or health board not having sufficient finance to carry on their responsibilities in regard to the disabled. Would the Minister not accept that both health boards and voluntary bodies are totally under-financed and are unable to provide the services they wish? Will the Minister furthermore accept that there are a number of buildings, some built as far back as 1981, not yet in operation because the health boards do not have enough staff for them? Will the Minister also accept that there is a total lack of accommodation for numerous adult mentally handicapped, that there are mentally handicapped people aged 18 being sent home from residential care centres to parents who are unable to look after them because there is no accommodation available for them?

No. If I may blow the trumpet of the Department a little on this question, I have deliberately transferred resources out of the acute hospitals area into that of the mentally handicapped. For example, in recent months I have made an additional £200,000 of annual revenue on an ongoing basis available to the Brothers of St. John of God. These brothers, particularly in relation to St. Mary's in Drumcar, urgently need additional resources and those resources have been made available. The same applies in relation to Galway. Again in recent months I have authorised additional resources to facilitate the opening of a further house for severely mentally handicapped children in the Pope John Paul II Centre in Ballymahon. In addition, Cheeverstown this year will have 130 residential places and 154 day care places which did not exist last year or the year before. Therefore, there has been a lot of extra money given. The Deputy will be aware that, in relation to the Brothers of Charity as well — and I have had discussions with both the Brothers of St. John of God and the Brothers of Charity — I made a very considerable amount of money available for 1985 and they are now reviewing how they propose spending that money.

Will the Minister accept that he gave incorrect information when he told us, in reply to an earlier question, that there were sufficient funds available for the needs of the handicapped when the Minister himself is aware of a number of buildings that cannot be staffed because——

The Deputy cannot go back on an earlier question.

It is relevant to this one. Indeed as you and I know, in our constituency, there has been a building lying in Cootehill since 1981 that has not been opened because money has not been allocated for staff. Furthermore, is the Minister aware and concerned at the implications of the very large reduction in the allocation available from the European Social Fund in the current year and its effects on the mentally handicapped in every health board area?

No, I would not agree at all. I would strongly suggest to the Deputy that he speak, in particular, to the religious orders who are doing outstanding work in this area. I met the Brothers of Saint John of God and I am giving them very substantial allocation for 1985 to enable them to open new units. The same applies to the Brothers of Charity. We made a substantial sum of money available to them only a fortnight ago on an ongoing revenue basis. Cheeverstown in Templeogue is also being renovated and last year, for example, I made almost £1 million available to them which they did not spend. In relation to the capital side, towards the end of last year I made £700,000 available for community based facilities and this year I am spending another £1.2 million on maintenance work in mentally handicapped areas.

The Minister did not answer the second part of my question.

The House does not seem to be anxious to make progress at Question Time and, in those circumstances, I will not allow Question Time to take over time allotted to debate.