Is the Minister aware that many aged parents of mentally handicapped children are simply no longer able to cope? Those children are in need of residential care. St. Michael's House and other similar organisations are aware of suicidal tendencies in some of these cases.

I am replying to a question in relation to St. Michael's House but I would be glad to deal with any other questions relating to the other facility mentioned by the Deputy, namely, the Brothers of St. John of God. In relation to St. Michael's House, at the meeting on 26 June we will discuss with that body their current budget and the opening of the adult special care unit which was completed last year at a capital cost of £1 million. It will be fully operational by the end of this year at which time it will cater for 70 moderately and severely handicapped adults. The annual cost of running that unit in Belcamp will be £300,000.

Could I ask the Minister how he intends to deal with the crisis in the emergency waiting list for residential places? In the Eastern Health Board area alone there are known to be 250 on the super emergency list, including the 50 I mentioned. It is a real crisis. Whether or not it is relevant to the wording in questions, there are a number of parents in the plight I mentioned. I am sure the Department are concerned about the situation in the Dublin region.

I would be glad to discuss with the Deputy the general question. There is a specific question in relation to St. Michael's House. I currently am awaiting proposals — if I may take the general question very briefly — from the Eastern Health Board regarding the general provision of residential care. As the Deputy knows, I have decided to recast completely the proposeals in relation to the Loughlinstown project and instead to spread out throughout north County Dublin, the west of the county and into Kildare and Wicklow that £9 million of investment in residential care. I do not believe in building, as we built elsewhere, large institutional structures for 200 to 300 mentally handicapped people with 400 or 500 staff. That is not the right way to do it.

My question refers to the need for places for at least 50 people in residential care. In that context, if the Minister is not considering capital funds, is he considering immediate supplementary current funding to provide staff to enable adequate care to be provided and for those 50 people to be taken in? It is relevant to the wording of the question. If he is not agreeing with the capital funding side, is he saying current funding is needed? If so, is it going to be provided? It is not good enough to say he is dealing specifically with the question when the wording of the question refers to the urgent need for residential placements.

I will strongly make the point to the Deputy, and I have made it in relation to St. Michael's House, the two facilities which I have been most concerned about in relation to St. Michael's House are the day care center at Belcamp which will employ about 50 staff who have been sanctioned at a cost of £300,000 additional moneys a year and to bring on stream Cheeverstown House which is partly occupied at this stage. It has a number of day care attenders and has now got some residential places taken up. The management of the house are currently examining the feasibility of providing additional places at a marginal extra cost.

Already, substantial moneys have been provided by the Department of Health to St. Michael's House in the past two to three years. I regret that some time last year, particularly around local election time, there was a lot of unfortunate and disturbing political propaganda in relation to the work of St. Michael's House, particularly on the north side of Dublin where letters to parents were issued by various people. This was unfortunate and I do not think there will be a recurrence of that this year.