Vol. 427 No. 4
8 Proinsias De Rossa asked the Minister for Equality and Law Reform the reason no additional money was provided for the Council for the Status of Women in the 1993 Estimates, in view of the important work undertaken by the Council and the importance attached to enhancing the rights of women in the Programme for a Partnership Government 1993 to 1997; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
The Council for the Status of Women received a grant of £114,000 in the 1993 Estimates, the same provision as for 1992.
When I met the Council on 16 February of this year I explained to them that no increase in their grant was possible this year due to the tight fiscal situation. I also assured them that the Government would try to consider their funding situation sympathetically in future years.
Would the Minister agree that his grant represents a net reduction when inflation is taken into account and that the work of the Council for the Status of Women is of vital importance to the achievement of equal rights for women? Is the Minister, due to the huge demand on the councils services, disappointed with the allocation which represents a reduction in real terms? Would he agree that women on low incomes who are caught in the poverty trap and who could benefit most from the work of the council will suffer? Unless additional money is given to the council it will not be able to target these people.
I fully agree that the Council for the Status of Women is doing excellent work and is worthy of the full support of the Government. The Estimate concerned was virtually concluded before my appointment. Unfortunately, the timing was wrong from that point of view. When I met the Council for the Status of Women on 16 February they also raised the question of funding to other schemes with which the are concerned, namely, the civil legal aid scheme and the family mediation service. The funding for those services was increased by 7 per cent in 1993. Increased funding is also provided for locally based women's groups with which they are concerned. Grants have been increased by 50 per cent from £500,000 in 1992 to £750,000 in 1993 and the carer's allowance allocation was increased by 5 per cent, from £10.5 million in 1992 to £11 million in 1993. The Government is concerned to make the optimum use of the limited resources available and certainly next year I will be keeping the needs of the Council for the Status of Women under close review.
I welcome the Minister's indication of further support for the council in the future. The allocation for this year does not reflect the commitment given in the Programme for Government to equality. It is one thing to accept equality in principle but to put it into practice is another matter. There should have been an increase in the allocation. The demands on the council have increased greatly in terms of women seeking information and advice. I understand it has submitted a lengthy programme to the Minister and, perhaps, he would consider financing some of the projects through partnership seminars or other means.
I will look at those when they are presented.
