Dan Boyle
Ceist:75 Mr. Boyle asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the situation regarding the review of the family which he has been undertaking. [28167/04]
Amharc ar fhreagraWednesday, 10 November 2004
Ceisteanna (27)
Freagraí scríofa
The project referred to by the Deputy is intended to begin a strategic process under which issues affecting families would be addressed in an integrated way across the range of Departments and agencies currently involved in issues impacting on families. The project commenced with a public consultation process by way of five regional fora held during 2003 which gave rise to the publication of "Families and Family Life in Ireland: Challenges for the Future" earlier this year.
An interdepartmental committee, IDC, was established to oversee the development of the document and issued a call for submissions to non-governmental organisations interested in family issues to inform the deliberative process. Some 25 contributions were subsequently received and are being reviewed by the committee. The committee also tendered for an expert to prepare an introduction to the review outlining the main issues facing families today. This document is nearing completion and will discuss the role of families and the impact on families and family life of the demographic, social and economic changes taking place in society and what changes might be necessary in current policies and programmes in response to that. The Departments represented on the interdepartmental committee are also identifying the policy areas for which they have responsibility as well as reviewing the recommendations of the Commission on the Family which come within their remit.
In addition to setting out the trends relating to families and family life, it is intended that the review will identify the challenges to be faced and consider the appropriate strategies to meet these challenges, what measures might be taken to give effect to the strategies in the immediate term and the measures which might be planned for in the longer term. The institutional arrangements which might be required to ensure that the measures are implemented in an integrated manner will also be addressed.
In drawing up the strategy, I will also take full account of the findings of the Irish EU Presidency conference "Families, Change and Social Policy in Europe" which was held in Dublin Castle in May to mark at EU level the tenth anniversary of the International Year of the Family. It is my intention to have the substantive work in connection with the project completed by the end of this year, the tenth anniversary of the UN International Year of Families, with a view to completion of the review and its publication early in the new year.