Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister. Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, informed ACCORD, the Catholic Marriage and Preparation Counselling Service, that €378,000 was being withdrawn from its funding for 2015. Bizarrely, the Tusla letter 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. These are very strange goings on. I am glad the Minister is here as Tusla cited the delay in the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Deputy James Reilly, approving the budget for the retrospectivity of the cut. Where was the Minister and why did he not sign off on the funding? This is scandalous carry on. Other agencies have also been affected.

This has occurred against the background of a staggering donation of $8 million from Atlantic Philanthropies. I wonder what is happening there. On the website of Atlantic Philanthropies, it states that its explicit aim is to fund groups "to work inside the machinery of Government" to advance its ideological agenda. It is a bold statement on its website. That agenda is in direct opposition to ACCORD's stated view on the upcoming referendum. This is unprecedented and makes the controversy surrounding former advisor Frank Flannery and access to Fine Gael and government corridors look like a goldfish bowl by comparison. It is unreal that Atlantic has that statement on its website. The funding is coming from outside organisations. I welcome the funding Atlantic Philanthropies has given to certain community projects, but this funding is completely off the radar and in support of agencies to interfere in a referendum process here.

As the Minister knows, ACCORD has seven centres nationally and in 2013 provided 50,959 counselling hours to 9,867 clients and 727 marriage preparation courses to 7,631 couples. At the same time, 32,139 children participated in its schools programme. Wonderful work has been done. While planning its work for this year and continuing its outreach services, it is told halfway through the year that its funding has been slashed. I did not think the Minister would be here, but I note that he said in October that the Department was going to boost Tusla's funding by €26 million. Does he know what he is doing or where he is? Does he know he is out of the Department of Health and in the Department of Children and Youth Affairs? Is he a spinning top? Does he know what a hames he made of health and does he want to do the same with the Child and Family Agency? Does he know the importance of that area? He is the same Minister who said after the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act was introduced that he would cut the funding of hospitals that did not participate and carry out the procedures he wanted. Is that not threatening, bullying and intimidating behaviour intended to get his way at all costs?

I put it to the Minister that this attack could not have come at a worse time for the Government's "Yes" campaign and is a despicable attack on an agency. What is the message it sends to Catholic agencies and others which are doing tremendous work if the referendum is passed? They will have to go whistle for their money and will get nothing. The Government will not give it to them. The Minister said Tusla was to get an increase of €26 million, yet it is imposing cuts on this and many other agencies. I brought up Atlantic Philanthropies because I am very worried. I asked the Tánaiste this morning about the electoral commission because Atlantic Philanthropies have funded groups like the Irish Council for Civil Liberties to the tune of €7 million, Amnesty International Ireland to the tune of €5 million, Tusla to the tune of €8 million and GLEN to the tune of €4 million. That amounts to €24 million. All of these quangos and Government agents are doing the work of the "Yes" campaign in the referendum. It is interference and a despicable attack on a sovereign state which undermines what democracy is about: a free and unhindered vote of the people. The chickens have come home to roost and the genie is out of the bottle.

The Minister needs to stand up, measure up and restore this funding. The Minister and his Government colleagues need to put some manners on these organisations. These quangos are doing the work of the Government, at its bidding, because people are expecting promotions on State boards. They are protecting everything else and they are all interlinked.

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