Patrick Nulty (Dublin West, Labour)

Before I begin, I would like to acknowledge the Minister of State's strong personal commitments on the issues covered in her own brief.

I would like to talk today about the cuts to community-based counselling services. They provide family therapy, counselling to youth work and marriage guidance and support to families in crisis. There are about 29 of these community-based projects throughout the country. In 2009 they received about €8 million in funding. What is unique about these services is that they developed organically within our communities. The drive to set up these counselling services came from people living in their communities such as community development workers, people from religious orders and people involved in all sorts of community activity. They recognised that there was a huge gap in family support and that there was a need for access to quality counselling for families, many of which are on a low income and which simply could not afford to access this type of support in the private sector. These facilities were established within communities. They have boards of directors that are set up within the communities as well. They provide a vital service to those communities.

In recent months, these community-based services have received notice from the Family Support Agency that they will receive a funding cut of 12% this year, 12% next year and 12% the year after. This is on top of a 10% cut they received last year when Fianna Fáil was in power, and this makes up a 46% cut over four years. These services simply cannot sustain such cuts. If the cuts go ahead, many of them will close.

The Genesis counselling service in my own constituency of Dublin West was established in 1993, based on a needs assessment of the community. It is located in the Corduff, Mulhuddart and wider Dublin 15 area. Its establishment was a recognition that there was a huge gap in supports for working class communities to ensure that people get access to counselling services. The service provides counselling for parenting and for relationships in difficulty. It receives referrals from organisations like Women's Aid, the Garda Síochána, child protection agencies and legal aid. It plays an incredibly important role in providing support to people.

I met the board of directors of Genesis counselling service a few weeks ago. The people on the board are not prone to histrionics or grandstanding. They are rooted in working class communities throughout this country and they are saying that if the cuts go ahead, these services may close and this will have a devastating impact on the communities that we serve and seek to represent in the Dáil. We need to review the cuts urgently.

If families do not get access to support and assistance for young people experiencing difficulties, what will be the outcome? More young people will become involved in criminal activity. There will be more family breakdown, more drug use and alcohol abuse. It will lead to a range of social problems. It will also cost the Exchequer far more than the cost of the provision of services in the community. Crude cuts of this nature do not equal savings for the taxpayer. They do nothing to address the economic crisis in which we find ourselves. They do nothing to address the 14% unemployment rate.

I implore those making these decisions not simply to look at a balance sheet. I appreciate the Minister for Finance may have other commitments, but it is a pity he was not able to stay to listen to this debate. The decisions that have been made on spending cuts are impacting locally. They are greatly affecting community services, youth projects, and community development programmes. That will undermine the progress that has been made in our communities. I cannot see how that is in anyone's interest.

I know the Minister of State has a very strong track record on these issues over many years. I ask her, through her office, to bring any support she can to have these cuts reviewed.

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