This year the Government has allocated £1.5 million for support for the voluntary organisations providing marriage and child counselling services. This is an additional £600,000 over last year. Responsibility for this area was transferred to my Department from the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform. The scheme of grants for 1998 for these services will be launched on Thursday next. The scheme will be advertised in the provincial press on Thursday 2 April and in the national daily newspapers on Friday 3 April 1998.
The family mediation service is a State run service which is now under the aegis of my Department, following its transfer from the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform. The allocation for the service has been increased to £900,000 this year, a threefold increase from the previous year. At present the service is available in Dublin and Limerick. The extra allocation will allow for the provision of a number of additional centres around the country and I hope to be announcing details in the near future.
Arrangements are under way to establish the family affairs unit which will have responsibility for a number of family services including support for the marriage and child counselling services and the family mediation service. Additional resources were provided in the 1998 budget in respect of five posts for the new unit. The unit will comprise eight staff, four of whom have been already assigned and a further three will be assigned when the work in relation to the Commission on the Family is finalised. The family affairs unit is located in the Department's offices in Clare House, Marlborough Street, Dublin 1.
