Written Answers. - Divorce Referendum.
Michael Woods
Question:
31
Dr. Woods
asked the
Minister for Equality and Law Reform
the plans, if any, he has in the event of divorce being introduced to provide a mediation service throughout the State to assist couples resolve the various issues arising on the breakdown of a marriage; and if he has considered the possibility of requiring couples to attend such mediation before instituting legal proceedings for divorce or judicial separation.
[12200/95]
Ivor Callely
Question:
77
Mr. Callely
asked the
Minister for Equality and Law Reform
the infrastructure that will be put in place if the proposed divorce referendum is carried to address the issues involved such as maintenance, family home, custody of children and other such issues; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[12269/95]
Ivor Callely
Question:
78
Mr. Callely
asked the
Minister for Equality and Law Reform
the public relations or advertising companies that have been engaged or considered in connection with the divorce referendum; the moneys available for this; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[12270/95]
Ivor Callely
Question:
79
Mr. Callely
asked the
Minister for Equality and Law Reform
the cross-party progress on the wording of the proposed divorce referendum; the time-scale for the wording to be concluded; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[12271/95]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 31, 77, 78 and 79 together.
Details of what legislative provisions would be in place to deal with the various aspects of divorce, including maintenance of spouses and children, orders in relation to the family home and other property including pensions and orders concerning custody of and access to children will be set out in the draft Bill which will accompany publication of the Amendment of the Constitution Bill. The House will be aware that those legislative provisions will in substance be the same as those in the Judicial Separation and Family Law Reform Act, 1989 and the Family Law Bill, 1994. The Social Welfare (No. 2) Bill 1995, recently initiated, deals with the social welfare aspects of marriage breakdown, including divorce. The major development programmes which are being implemented in relation to legal aid, mediation and counselling are a matter of record in the House. Those programmes, together with the legislative provisions I have mentioned, implement in large measure an infrastructure to tackle the many aspects of the problem of marriage breakdown.
I have made clear to the House on several occasions also that the sum of £500,000 provided in the Estimates of my Department for a programme of information on the Government's divorce proposals is for heads of expenditure on lines similar to those used in previous referenda and that as part of that programme a company will be engaged to assist in the public relations and advertising aspects. A number of companies have been considered for the job and details will be announced shortly when the process of selection has been completed.
The position regarding development of mediation is that in 1994 I managed to more than double the financing which the State allocates to the Family Mediation Service. The increased figure of £300,000 which was provided for the service in 1994 has been repeated this year. In order better to assist those who are seeking mediation, a second mediation centre, in addition to the one already operating in Dublin, will soon be opening in Limerick. There are proposals, in addition, to ensure that the services of the Dublin and Limerick centres can be used to link up with the services of private mediators so that mediation skills can be more widely availed of by those couples who are in need of mediation.
Our separation laws require the legal representatives of the applicant and respondent in separation proceedings to inform them of the possibility of resolving their difficulties by mediation. Experience here and in other countries indicates that voluntary rather than compulsory mediation is preferable and I am disposed to agree with the voluntary approach.
I am glad to be able to inform the House that the consultations on divorce between representatives of the Government and opposition parties have been ongoing. It is my hope that the process can continue and that by the time of formal debate in the House a good deal of consensus will have been achieved on the way ahead.
