Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)

The Family Support Agency is the main agency to address the issues the Deputy raises. It funds 541 organisations countrywide and deals with family counselling in all areas, including separation, divorce and bereavement. Those 541 organisations do a magnificent job. As I said, the preliminary findings of the study we carried out indicate that up to 70,000 people benefit from the counselling service. I have allocated €10 million to the scheme for 2007 and it is through those organisations we can give the most immediate support in cases of break-up.

The Family Support Agency provides a mediation service, post-break-up, for marital and non-marital families and funds organisations dealing with prevention. I have put the concept of offering the mediation service after the decision has been taken to separate to the Family Support Agency. Otherwise, its great talents might be too confined. I will ask the agency to determine whether it can become directly involved on the preventative side, but perhaps it feels it should do so through the organisations. I must rely on its professional judgment.

Deputy Stanton referred to the protection of children, which is the objective in this regard. While the relationship issue is important, protection of children in that situation is more important. For this reason, the Family Support Agency has substantial funds and resources to conduct acres of research, in which respect it is doing a good job.

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