Aisling Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)

I thank the Minister for the update on the commitment of the Government and Minister to family resource centres across the country. I welcome the opening of new centres as I know how much they can do and add to our communities. I know how much family resource centres add because there is an extremely active and hard-working one in my home town of Trim. I cannot impress upon the Minister enough how important it is to provide additional supports, not least financially, to existing facilities like Trim Family Resource Centre. We have spoken about this on a previous occasion and I know it is a priority for the Minister.

Trim Family Resource Centre is an integral part of the Trim and south Meath community and provides many invaluable services in the locality. Parent and toddler groups, counselling and youth unemployment supports are some of the more obvious services it supplies. Lesser-known activities happen, which could be a service user's only outlet in a week or a real help to working parents during school breaks, such as weekly walk and talks, men's musical meet ups and low-cost summer camps. I ask the Minister continue to review and increase funding for family resource centres when possible and that their value and addition to our communities is always recognised and rewarded by the Government.

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