Vol. 483 No. 4
33 Ms McManus asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the policies, if any, he intends to introduce to address the effect of divorce on families in relation to the commitment given in An Action Programme for the Millennium; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20462/97]
The Deputy will appreciate that policies to address the effect of divorce on families cover a wide range of areas including income support, mediation and counselling services, family courts, and services for children. The latter two areas relate to the responsibilities of the Ministers for Justice, Equality and Law Reform and Health and Children.
In relation to income supports available through the social welfare system, the Social Welfare (No. 2) Act, 1995, provided that a divorced person will not lose out in terms of his or her social welfare entitlements. In relation to occupational pensions, the Family Law (Divorce) Act, 1996, requires that pension rights must be taken into account by the court in any financial settlement.
As indicated in the Fianna Fáil policy paper — May 1997 — on Irish Families in the New Millennium, the family mediation service and the marriage counselling sevices are key supports available to families in crisis situations, including those involving separation and divorce. The mediation service enables couples whose marriages have irretrievably broken down to address issues arising consequent on breakdown.
The Government programme indicates that priority will be attached to the establishment of a national mediation service. It is also recognised that the availability of counselling services is essential for families dealing with difficult relationship issues and this Government is committed to pursuing greater provision and support for existing counselling sevices in this area. My Department is taking over responsibility for both family mediation and marriage counselling services — which are currently the responsibility of the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform in the New Year.
I expect to receive shortly the final report of the Commission on the Family. I expect that this will cover issues relevant to families in marriage breakdown-divorce situations as well as issues relating to the prevention of marriage breakdown and the question of joint parenting, whether within or outside marriage. I expect that this report will form the basis for a programme of sustained action to deal with family affairs' issues generally. This should complement the proposals outlined in An Action Programme for the Millennium and its supporting policy documents. I will be considering shortly, along with my Government colleagues, how this programme of action can best be supported at administrative level.
