Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 14 Apr 1994

Vol. 441 No. 3

Adjournment Debate. - Funding of Marriage Counselling Services.

Ms Keogh

It is nice to note that there can be a bit of light entertainment in the Chamber from time to time, even if I suspect it had a serious intent.

I want to raise the matter of moneys promised for marriage counselling services, in particular the funding of one marriage counselling service, the only non-denominational one of which I am aware in this city. It is appropriate in the International Year of the Family, and also the year in which the Government has promised a referendum on divorce, that our attention should focus on the needs of the family and on the reality of marital breakdown. The Minister and I have debated the issue of divorce on many occasions and we agree on the importance of support for marriage and the need for counselling and mediation services. The Government agrees that we should support the institution of marriage while at the same time recognising the needs of people whose marriage have irretrievably broken down.

Unfortunately support for such services as marriage counselling and so on has been minimal and erratic. In the budget a sum of £750,000 was promised to marriage counselling services but up to half-an-hour ago the marriage counselling service had heard nothing about money for it. I plead with the Minister to provide a breakdown of the allocation of these money for the various agencies. Can the marriage counselling service plan according to its pre-budget submission? I accept the Minister is serious in his intent in this regard and there must be some explanation for the delay in providing this allocation. The Minister is aware of the work of the marriage counselling service, the cost to the Government of which is a £12,000 Eastern Health Board grant and a £25,000 per annum special budget allocation during the past three years. The organisation is greatful for this allocation but it is not enough. Following the budget allocation the organisation increased its counselling hours, doubled its out-postings, recruited a new chief executive officer, developed new services, trained more counsellors, recruited additional staff and acquired more premises. It is updating its services so that more people can avail of the service. If it received the amount sought in its pre-budget submission it would be able to reduce its extensive waiting lists and extend its services nationwide.

This organisation which has been in existance for the past 31 years is highly regarded. I was a member of the board of it some years ago and it has a highly trained staff. Every politician knows the effects of marital discord and relationship difficulties. Anything we can do to alleviate those difficulties and any support we can give to such an agency will result in the alleviation of some of those difficulties.

Divorce is not a solution to marital breakdown. Our aim is to try to help those people who are experiencing difficulty. Obviously, we cannot focus on a one end solution for a certain number of people. The Minister said he is concerned about the level of mediation services and is supportive of them but verbal support is not sufficient. Those agencies need money. Even if they cannot have the money now they need to know when, or if, they will receive it.

Under normal circumstances the agency would know in January what money would be available for the year. They are concerned that since January they have heard nothing from the Minister despite many attempts to ascertain what is happening. I hope there will be a positive response from the Minister and that this agency, and others involved in marriage counselling services, will know what the future holds for them and how much of their funding they will have to garner through cake sales and so on.

Minister for Equality and Law Reform (Mr. Taylor)

The basis for the tabling of this motion is that there seems to be a delay in allocating Exchequer funding to marriage counselling services in 1994. I do not agree with that basis and propose to give the reasons for my views in that regard.

It is relevant to point out the background to the substantially increased funding of £750,000 that the Government has made available for marriage counselling this year. Up to now the grants to marriage counselling services were administered by the Department of Health through the health boards and, from time to time, supplementary grants were paid by the Department of Social Welfare. Grants paid to the various organisations providing marriage counselling services were paid on an ad hoc basis and there was neither a formal procedure for evaluating the requirements of the various organisations concerned nor was there any central departmental responsibility for the funding of marriage counselling services.

There has been little increase over the years in the amounts provided to the various organisation. In effect, the amounts have been static and there has been no particular centralisation of decision making in the process with several Departments involved at any one time. In addition to the Departments of Health and Social Welfare being involved, the Department of Justice was also involved, if only indirectly, from the point of view of its responsibility for the State's family mediation service.

As Minister for Equality and Law Reform I took over responsibility for, among other matters, the family mediation service, and Exchequer funding of marriage guidance and counselling services in addition to legal aid and reform of family law. In all of these important areas I am engaged in implementing a comprehensive programme of legislative and administrative measures of protection and support for couples who, for one reason or another are in difficulties with their marriage. The funding for counselling services is an earnest of mine and of the Government in endeavouring to assist marriage counselling services in 1994. It represents more than a two-fold increase over the total paid last year.

Work of immense value is being done by a number of voluntary organisations in this area. One of the most effective ways to help those experiencing marital difficulties is to give practical assistance to the voluntary organisations by way of proper funding. A particular aim of the increased funding this year is to give a boost to the organisations with a view to enabling them, if possible, to expand and develop their services.

Deputies will appreciate that marriage guidance and counselling is a new subhead in my Department's Vote, and there are technical Government accounting procedures which require that payment of grants in this area must await the passing of my Department's Vote. That Vote will come up for discussion during this Dáil session. However, I can assure the House that this is not giving rise to any particular delay in the payment of grant aid in 1994 to the organisations in question. There is also a difference between arrangements for payment this year and previous years in that more detailed information is being required of applicants for State funding not only because of the amounts involved but also because of the need for organisations to demonstrate how increases in funding will be used and to the best advantage possible. My Department has been engaged in very fruitful discussions with the main organisations in this area, to inform them of the new arrangements. Special forms of application have been devised in the light of those discussions and issued to the organisations concerned.

My Department has not received complaints from any of the organisations concerned regarding delays in making payments. The information available to me is that in previous years these organisations were paid moneys normally in the latter half of the year. As soon as my Department's Estimate has been cleared, I aim, in suitable cases, to pay at least 50 per cent of the amounts approved to the organisations concerned and I intend that payments will be made quarterly thereafter.

I think the House will agree, in the light of what I said, that my Department is following all necessary financial procedures in this matter is determined to assist organisations as best as possible and is ensuring that all moneys are disbursed in a fair and equitable manner in the interest of the community which the counselling organisations are serving.

The Dáil adjourned at 6.20 p.m. until 10.30 a.m. on Friday, 15 April 1994.