Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Paudie Coffey, for attending to take this matter. While he is a colleague from a neighbouring constituency and a good friend, I am disappointed the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs is not here.

An alarming and savage blow was announced yesterday morning when Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, informed ACCORD, the Catholic Marriage and Preparation Counselling Service, of the cutting of its total annual funding of €378,000. It is a savage blow five months on. To make it worse, the Tusla letter bizarrely informed ACCORD that its decision to cut the funding is retrospective and took effect from 1 January 2015, notwithstanding that the letter is dated 7 May 2015. It is scandalous. This organisation does a great deal of good work throughout the country and the timing of the cut is very strange. Tusla cited the delay in the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Deputy James Reilly, approving the budget as the reason for the retrospectivity of the cut.

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