Breeda Moynihan-Cronin (Kerry South, Labour)
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Question 74: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if he has read and considered a policy position paper from an organisation (details supplied) on recognising the realities of the diversity of family life in Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5904/05]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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Families and family life have been undergoing profound changes in Ireland and in many other developed countries in recent decades. These changes include the increasing participation of women in the workforce, decreasing fertility, a significantly higher incidence of separation and divorce, cohabitation outside marriage, lone parenthood and reconstituted families. These changes have major implications for families and their core functions, especially care of children, older people and family members with disabilities.

Many of these realities have been addressed in the policy position paper referred to by the Deputy. They have also been addressed in the Report of the Commission on the Family, in many of the research projects undertaken under the families research programme, a second phase of which will be undertaken this year by the Family Support Agency, at international level, for example, in an OECD project on reconciling work and family life, in which Ireland has been directly participating, and in the conference on Families, Change and European Social Policy, which Ireland, with the support of the EU Commission, hosted in May 2004 during the EU Presidency, the first such conference on families at EU level for over a decade.

The impact of change on families was a major theme of the 10th Anniversary of the UN International Year of the Family commemorated last year. This was preceded in Ireland by a nationwide consultation during 2003 on the implications of these changes for policy on supports for families. A report on the public consultation fora entitled Families and Family Life in Ireland — Challenges for the Future was published at the outset of the year and became a basis for discussions on the changes and their implications.

New policies have been introduced and existing policies and programmes have been adapted to address the changes. These have included schemes such as the one parent family payment in my own Department, developments in family law, the provision being made to meet the increasing demand for child care for parents who work outside the home and the adaptation of policies in employment, education, care of the elderly and housing and accommodation to meet new family needs.

The Family Support Agency was established in May 2003 to draw together family related programmes and services developed by the Government since 1997. These are designed to promote continuity and stability in family life, help prevent family breakdown and support, support ongoing parenting relationships for children and local community supports for families.

Specifically, the Family Support Agency's main functions include the provision of grant aid for voluntary and community organisations providing marriage and relationship counselling services, child counselling services and bereavement support for families; and the provision of a family mediation service throughout the country for couples who have decided to separate. The service is designed to help couples to reach agreement on issues such as the family home, financial arrangements. This can greatly assist children in retaining close bonds with both parents where possible and avoiding costly litigation. The support, promotion and development of the family and community services resource centre programme. There are currently 75 centres throughout the country being core funded under the scheme, with an overall target of 100 centres by the end of 2006.

As mentioned earlier, the agency also has responsibility for the second phase of the families research programme.

An effective response to the changes taking place requires an integrated, strategic approach. Preparations for such an approach are being co-ordinated by my Department through an interdepartmental committee. I expect that the outcome of this work will be a strategy statement to be completed later this year.

A key feature of this strategic process to date has been consultation with all stakeholders and interested parties.

Written submissions have been invited and received from virtually all the key interests, including the organisation referred to by the Deputy. They are all being fully taken into account in drawing up the strategy.