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Family Policy.

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 11 February 2004

Wednesday, 11 February 2004

Questions (14, 15)

Breeda Moynihan-Cronin

Question:

82 Ms B. Moynihan-Cronin asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the findings of the family fora conducted by her Department over the past few months; the purpose of the fora; the number of fora that took place; the location of each forum; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3878/04]

View answer

Eamon Ryan

Question:

92 Mr. Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs when it is envisaged that consultation on policy on the family will finish and a report be presented. [4034/04]

View answer

Oral answers (16 contributions)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 82 and 92 together.

Families and family life are undergoing profound and rapid changes in Ireland. The main reasons include the increasing participation of women in employment; difficulties in reconciling work and family life; a growing incidence of marital breakdown and lone parenthood generally; ageing of the population; and the likely growth in the numbers of dependent elderly.

Against this background in May 2003, I began a nationwide consultation on the future development of family policy, five years after publication of the report of the commission on the family. The fora provided my officials and me with an opportunity to hear the views of a cross-section of family members from different regions and those who work with them, including public representatives. Their views were sought on the main challenges that confront families today, the effectiveness of Government policies and programmes in supporting families to meet these challenges, and on what the priorities should be for strengthening families.

The process included workshops on parenting, balancing work and family life, the family as carer and relationships in difficulty. These workshops allowed a more focused examination of the issues and the identification of the supports families need to carry out their important role.

Five fora were held from May to December 2003 in Donegal, Kilkenny, Cork, Galway and Dublin. Reports on each forum meeting and a thematic report that draws together all the issues raised are being finalised. These reports will be launched later this month. Participants at the different fora saw family policy as having a fundamental role in expressing and affirming societal values. Among the values mentioned most consistently as underpinning future policy on the family were respect, choice, balance between work and family, equality, diversity, prevention and early intervention and kinship.

The thematic report is also designed during this, the tenth anniversary of the international year of the family, to facilitate a wide-ranging debate among all interested parties on the future development of policies and programmes to support and strengthen families. In addition, the Irish Presidency, with the support of the European Commission, will host a major international conference, entitled Families, Change and European Social Policy, next May in Dublin Castle. This is designed to initiate an EU-wide debate on how social policies need to be modernised to meet the challenges of the changes affecting families and family life.

Additional information not given on the floor of the House

I have received the strategic plan of the Family Support Agency, which I established last May, and this will also be fully taken into account in my ongoing consideration of the future shape of policies for families.

Public opinion, as voiced at the fora, considers that future family policy should develop at two levels. The first is a general level of support and assistance that would be available to all families, especially at critical junctures such as the birth of the first child. The second level of support would be more specialist in that it would address the specific needs of particular families.

Drawing on the views and analysis emerging from this wide ranging consultation process, it is my intention, in consultation with all the relevant Departments and agencies, to have a clear, coherent and comprehensive strategy for family policy prepared by the end of 2004. This will be designed to address the changes taking place for families and family life and to identify priorities for strengthening families in the key contribution they make to the well-being of their individual members and society as a whole.

This is a worthwhile exercise because the definition of "family" has expanded and the Minister commented on this recently. What steps will she take to ensure the fora recommendations are implemented? Will legislative change be necessary to implement their recommendations? Has the Minister prioritised the measures resulting from the fora findings to date? What resources will be allocated to mark the tenth anniversary of the international year of the family, especially at EU level? There is pressure on people to balance work and family life so that they can pay for houses, cars and so on. What priority was given by the fora to the provision of crèche and pre-school facilities?

The final issue was raised ad infinitum, as were difficult issues relating to kinship and self-esteem. It was disturbing that, throughout the forum, self-esteem and how it reflected on people's ability to participate within a relationship and to balance work and family life was a theme. I would like to link in the forum's report with the strategic report of the Family Support Agency to provide supports for families. Perhaps issues will arise relating to the legislative framework in this area but, unfortunately, that is outside my remit. However, I will use my influence to ensure they are progressed.

Family policy has not evolved to its potential. It has been diversified among a number of Departments and there has been a loss of direction. I would like, as a consequence, to focus on the family affairs area of my Department now that the Family Support Agency has been established to push the agenda and support people within the evolving family structure.

Members will be invited to participate in the programme for the European conference in May. We will also host two other conferences, one of which will examine the role of men within relationships. A sum of €1 million is available to celebrate the occasion and, if the Deputy has bright ideas, I will welcome them.

I will come back to the Minister.

Does the Minister accept a flexible definition of "family" needs to result from this process? She referred to the ideal family at one public meeting she attended with the State having no role in imposing a view of an ideal family on society, which I welcome.

The concept of the extended family is fast disappearing in terms of family relationships. However, it is still a widespread phenomenon and the forum might devise sufficient supports and incentives such as those available to carers to care people with severe disabilities and illness, although they are inadequate. Another element of the definition of family is that it may not involve children or people of different genders in terms of a marriage. Perhaps I am revisiting ground covered under the Civil Registration Bill, which we passed yesterday, but the UK Parliament is examining a civil registration Bill to deal with same-sex partnerships and, given that a Fine Gael councillor availed of such legislation in Canada recently, this highlights that some people's definition of "family" is limited to such partnerships. When recommendations are made eventually, I ask that these definitions should be included in the broad, flexible definition that is needed for our modern society.

I would appreciate it if we did not have a definition of family because, in itself, a definition curtails people and can be hurtful to individuals in particular circumstances. Regardless of the way in which families are formulated — there has been a great diversity in this regard in a short period — we must consider how we can support them. The Deputy is correct that we are not necessarily discussing children. Grandparents have particular concerns in that they are often over-burdened in terms of child care. They also have concerns about having access to their grandchildren where there may be a marital breakdown. Those are two important issues. People are becoming grandparents at a much younger age and their interaction with their extended families is extremely important.

On foot of the thematic report, I hope to use a non-legalistic perspective. That would be more progressive in many ways in delivering supports. We have been extremely flexible in this country. There has been major community development, we have opened family resource centres and over €20 million has been allocated to the family support agency. We can expand on that community base and increase the almost €8 million to be provided this year for counselling services. The latter have expanded because they have had to deal with particular circumstances as they arise. That is a better free-flowing type of family policy and it is much more progressive than would be defining the position from a legal point of view. That said, however, there are parameters within which we must work. I look forward to family policy evolving in the coming years as a result of the report.

With regard to the Minister bringing her roadshow around the country, everyone knows that the family unit has always been regarded as being made up of a husband, a wife and children. That unit is under attack. We have always been told that the family is protected under the Constitution. Families' major complaint at present is that they are no longer able to live. In the budget the Minister had an opportunity, in respect of child benefit and child dependant allowance, which was not increased for ten years, to take action. The greatest pressure exerted on families at present is that relating to the cost of living. People are no longer able to survive. There is no support from the State to allow family units to stay together. In spite of all the rhetoric from the Government, the family unit is under attack. Families are not protected by the social welfare laws or by the State. There appears to be respect for everything other than the family unit. The latter is not being protected by the State but it should be.

The Minister has brought her roadshow around the country. We are aware of the problems that exist. What we need now is for the Department and the Government to try to resolve the problems, keep families together and support them. Particular emphasis must be laid on children. In the recent budget an increase of €2 per week, or €8 per month, was given. That would not buy a loaf of bread to feed one's poodle not to mention one's children.

I am terribly disappointed that Fine Gael is again unenlightened when it comes to family policy and has chased itself into a rabbit warren. Members of the party should stick their heads out to see what is happening in society. No one is attacking anyone. There was a misperception by one of the Deputy's colleagues on the issue of marriage and my views thereon. With regard to those views, in the main I am very much in favour of marriage and I reflected that by ensuring that increased resources were provided to support early intervention in marriage and by supporting new initiatives relating to young people and children who encounter difficulties. Last year, we inquired, for the first time, about what children think. We supported the compilation of valuable and progressive research in that area.

It is untrue and unfounded to state that we do not support families. We have done our utmost to ensure that families, particularly those based on marriage, are supported to the greatest degree possible. At the same time, however, we cannot have a situation where everyone else becomes estranged as a result of a definition. It would be wrong to do so and I am sure it is not what the Deputies opposite would like to see happening.

I would like to see the family protected.

There is support for families, per se, individuals and, in particular, children, who are often very vulnerable and come outside the parameters of adult relationships. Children are highly influenced by such relationships and, when difficulties occur therein, often find themselves in difficult situations. I have invested heavily in and I am absolutely committed to early intervention. During family policy discussions, I would like to see moves to increase that early intervention in respect of the support of family life.

There was no roadshow. If I established a commission which would cost millions of euro to operate, the Deputy would be jumping up and down. The forum did not cost a great deal of money and it allowed me to go out and ask people their opinions. I also invited politicians to bring forward their views. The process was very interesting. People shot from the hip and stated what they would like to see happening. On reflection, that is the best way forward in terms of progressing family policy and in supporting families, regardless of their nature or composition.

Will the Minister indicate to the House how the forum would advise a family of three, two adults and a child, the breadwinner of which earns €450 per week and who rents a house at €1,200 per month? If the family does not rent, it cannot live together. The alternative is that they separate and one of the parents receives the one-parent family allowance.

The family forum was an opportunity for people to put forward their views. It was not a way of determining what people should or should not do, it was an opportunity to listen to what people had to say about family policy, the position of carers, family and working life. It was also a way of looking at the issues with regard to relationships. The Deputy is talking about something else, namely, disincentives.

I am talking about families living together.

Disincentives. The Deputy would probably be better advised to consider the type of employment those people were in and look at the possibility of those involved applying for family income supplement and, more than likely, rent supplement and any other supports that might be made available to them. It is unfair to say that families would divide because of money. I do not know about other Members, but I know many people who are very happy within family relationships. They may be paupers or multimillionaires. A great deal of this is not about money, it is about relationships and partnerships.

They are being forced to part and they cannot marry. The Government is anti-family and its policy is unconstitutional.

We have done our utmost to support families.

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