Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 7 Oct 1998

Vol. 494 No. 5

Written Answers. - Commission on the Family.

Liz McManus

Question:

56 Ms McManus asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the progress, if any, made by the Government in regard to the report of the Commission on the Family; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18685/98]

Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs (Mr. D. Ahern)

The final report of the Commission on the Family, Strengthening Families for Life, contains a comprehensive and in-depth analysis of the issues affecting families and wide-ranging recommendations across several different public policy areas involving a number of Departments.

The commission's recommendations in the main relate to the approach to be pursued in various areas of policy in the years ahead to strengthen families in carrying out their functions. Some of the commission's recommendations are set in the context of evolving societal change in relation to family life and some involve very substantial costs. These recommendations will be a matter for consideration in a budgetary context in the light of available resources. In relation to progress made to date may I refer the Deputy to the Officila Report of Wednesday, 30 September 1998 in which my colleagues have set out the initiatives taken to date within their own areas of responsibility which are relevant to the findings of the Commission on the Family.

The Government is committed to adopting a "families first" approach by putting the family at the centre of all its policies and the recommendations contained in the report will be fully considered in the context of developing coherent progressive and effective policies for families as promised in the Programme for Government, An Action Programme for the Millennium.

In line with its pro-family approach to the development of policy and services and in response to recommendations from the Commission, the Government has established a new family affairs unit in the Department of Social, Community and Family Affairs and has provided an additional £2.75 million for the development of family services in my Department. This includes £700,000 towards a network of family and community services resource centres; an extra £600,000 for support for marriage counselling services bringing the total allocations this year to £1.5 million; and an extra £600,000 for the expansion of the family mediation service. A nation-wide expansion of the family mediation service is under way. New services will be provided from centres in Athlone, Cork, Dundalk, Galway, Tallaght, Tralee and Wexford over the next few months.

This year over 150 organisations providing marriage and child counselling have received grant aid towards the provision of their services. In addition, for the first time, grant aid is being made available to voluntary organisations for marriage preparation programmes and to voluntary organisations providing support and bereavement counselling on the death of a family member.

The family affairs unit has been given a specific responsibility to pursue the findings in the commission's report following their consideration by the Government. In pursuing the findings of the report the unit will work with the other Departments which are affected by the commission's recommendations.

As well as having responsibility for the marriage counselling services and the family mediation service, the unit also has responsibility for a number of other family services, including a pilot programme to provide improved support to families from local offices of the Department through the one-stop-shop model, and the introduction of an information programme on parenting issues. The commission in its report made recommendations in relation to the development of these important services for families.