The National Association for the Mentally Handicapped of Ireland has given a cautious welcome to the announcement by the Minister for Health that he will provide £10 million for various capital developments in this area in 1999.
PRO Ms Jean Spain said that while Mr Cowen's announcement, made at the association's a.g.m. in Galway at the weekend, was welcome, it would have to be examined closely to ensure it was for new projects and not already allocated to existing schemes.
While extra money had already been allocated by the Department to tackle waiting lists, the services provided did not seem to have improved.
"The money is going in, but it's paying for things which already exist, such as respite care. The current waiting list is 1,400 and it's building up."
Mr Cowen said he would provide more than 600 new places for people with mental handicaps - 320 residential, 80 respite and 200 day places.
The provision of services to people with mental handicap has improved, he stated, but this improvement had been offset by an increase in the number of those with mental handicap in Ireland.