EXTRA resources are being provided by the Eastern Health Board in the fight against drug addiction, chief executive, Mr Kieran Hickey, said yesterday. He told the Dail Committee of Public Accounts that it would spend £9.5 million this year, compared with £4.6 million last year.
At the end of 1992, the board had 43 full time staff dealing with the drug programme. By the end of last year that had increased to 114. This year, they would be adding 100 extra staff.
Discussing other business, the committee heard the board had made an overpayment of £23,456 of the disabled persons maintenance allowance in 1994.
The person involved, who was mentally handicapped, received the allowance while living at home. She was admitted to institutional accommodation provided by a voluntary religious order and when she moved to hostel accommodation the order submitted a new application unaware that her mother was still receiving it.
However, it was an isolated case, given that the board had issued such allowances to an average of 8,500 recipients weekly during 1994.