Written Answers. - Family Support Services.
Ruairí Quinn
Question:
164
Mr. Quinn
asked the
Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs
the number of family and community centres established since 1997; if any timetable has been set for the establishment of the 100 family and community centres promised in the review of An Action Programme for the Millennium; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[15802/00]
Ruairí Quinn
Question:
165
Mr. Quinn
asked the
Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs
the number of family and community centres established since 1997; the number of female lone parents who have availed of the back to work allowance since it was introduced; the number currently in receipt of the allowance; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[15803/00]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 164 and 165 together.
My Department has, since 1994, operated the family and community services resource centre programme, the focus of which is to combat disadvantage by improving the functioning of the family unit. An evaluation of the work of these centres was published in 1997, a key recommendation of which was that funding of these centres should be mainstreamed by my Department. In addition, the Commission on the Family, in its final report, recommended that the pilot project of ten centres be expanded, to develop a national network of 100 centres in the ensuing four to five years.
Having considered the outcome of the review and in order to implement the recommendations of the Commission on the Family, the Government allocated additional funding of £700,000 in 1998 to allow for the expansion of the programme by some 25 centres. A sum of £2.13 million was allocated to the programme in 1999 to facilitate a further expansion of the programme by some 20 centres. Significantly increased funding of £2.939 million is available to the programme this year, to allow for the inclusion of an additional 15 centres in 2000.
My Department has made significant progress towards achieving the recommended 100 centres, with an additional 54 centres currently in receipt of funding or approved in principle for inclusion in the programme since 1997, bringing the total number of family and community centres to 64. I recognise the vital role these centres play in providing support for marginalised families and in combating poverty and social exclusion and my commitment to support such initiatives is shown by the significant increase in funding made available to the programme in recent years.
The national development plan provides for expansion of the programme by some 15 centres per year of the plan with a total funding allocation in excess of £18 million over the period of the plan. This funding is part of an overall funding commitment of some £100 million made available over the period of the national development plan to support and expand my Department's community development support programmes which include a community development programme; a family and community services resource centre programme; and a programme of core-funding to locally-based community and family support groups.
I am confident this funding will enable my Department to achieve the recommendations of the Commission on the Family, to establish a national network of 100 family and community centres, within the specified timeframe of four to five years.
There are currently 775 persons in receipt of a back to work allowance, who were previously in receipt of a one parent family payment. According to my Department's records, 97% of those currently in receipt of one parent family payment are female. This percentage, when applied to those on back to work allowance would indicate a figure of 752 female one parent families in receipt of a back to work allowance.
Unfortunately, it is not possible to indicate the number of one parent families who have availed of the back to work allowance since its inception as the statistical data recording system does not facilitate the recording of data in this manner.
