asked the Minister for Health the grants, if any, that are paid on an annual basis to marriage counselling services; the names of those services to which any such grants have been provided in each of the last five years; and the amounts given to such in each of the last five years.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Marriage Counselling Services.
14.
My Department do not make direct grants to any of the marriage counselling services. Such grants are paid by the health boards.
In view of the considerable amount of time it would take to gather the information required, I would suggest that the Deputy direct his inquiry to the individual health boards.
In the light of the increasing problem in this country of marital breakdown — even taking into account the difficulties encountered in financial circumstances within the Minister's reduced budget — would he consider, in 1984, devising a uniform scheme to be applied directly through his Department, to be administered through the health boards, to make available grant aid to marriage guidance counsel agencies employing professionally qualified personnel to deal with the problem of marital breakdown and with the problems of people whose marriages have broken down?
A number of grants are made available by health boards. For example, to the Catholic Marriage Advisory Counsel the Eastern Health Board paid a grant in 1982 of £28,000 and in 1983 of £31,000. The situation here is that the directors of community care, in their respective areas, have their own resources. For example, in relation to another body analogous to the Catholic Marriage Advisory Council, I notice that moneys are paid by the Eastern Health Board to the Church of Ireland Marriage Counselling Service. These particular grants are payable by the health boards throughout the country to the local voluntary organisations. Many grants are paid. I do not have details of all of the individual ones but I certainly agree with the Deputy, that in the area of marriage counselling services, there is need for greater expenditure.
From the information available to the Minister is he in a position to indicate the total sums made available by way of grant aid by each of the health boards to the marriage guidance services within the eight different health board areas in recent years?
I will have the appropriate figures extracted and sent to the Deputy.