asked the Minister for Justice if he will make a statement on the operation of the Family Mediation Service set up by his Department in 1986, indicating the areas of the State covered by the service; the funding provided; and the plans he has to extend the service.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Family Mediation Service.
55.
As I stated in reply to a written Dáil Question on 1 December — column 133, volume 385 of the Official Report — the Family Mediation Service was established in Dublin in July 1986 to operate as a pilot scheme for a three year period. At the end of that period a decision will be made regarding the future of the scheme, including its geographical scope.
The service is located at Irish Life Centre, Block 1, Floor 5, Lower Abbey Street, Dublin 1. However, the service can be availed of by persons from outside Dublin and statistics supplied to my Department in relation to the service show that 20 per cent of those who used the service up to July 1988 were resident outside the greater Dublin area.
The funding provided for the operation of the service in 1988 and 1989 is indicated in the Revised Estimates for the Public Services 1988 and the Estimates for Public Services (Abridged Version) 1989, respectively. The same money has been provided for the whole year in that case as can be seen from the Estimates.