Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 198: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the progress in relation to the programme for Government commitment to continue to fully resource the Family Support Agency and its programmes of counselling and family resource centres; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20147/08]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The Family Support Agency was established on 6 May 2003 and brings together programmes and services to support families introduced by the Government in recent years. Its mission is to promote family and community well being through the provision of appropriate supports and services to families. Funding for the Agency has increased from €17.28 million in 2003 to €39.38 million for 2008. The main functions of the Agency include: the Family and Community Services Resource Centre (FRC) Programme; the scheme of grants to voluntary organisations providing marriage, child and bereavement counselling and related services; and the Family Mediation Service.

The FRC Programme was established in 1994 to help combat disadvantage by improving the function of the family unit. The emphasis in the projects is on the involvement of local communities in developing approaches to tackle the problems they face and on creating successful partnerships between the voluntary and statutory agencies in the area concerned. By the end of 2007, the number of Family Resource Centres had expanded from an original 10 to 106 nationwide. Funding increased from €317,500 (£250,000) in 1994 to €18.774m in 2007 with further provision for development under the NDP 2007 — 2013. In addition, funding has been allocated for an additional worker in 100 Family Resource Centres between 2007 and 2013. For 2008 it is planned that a further 6 Family Resource Centres will come on stream. Funding for the programme for 2008 has increased to €21.436m.

The Family Support Agency administers the Scheme of Grants to voluntary organisations providing marriage counselling services, marriage preparation courses, child counselling services in relation to parental separation and bereavement counselling and support services on the death of a family member. A total of €9.929m was allocated in 2007 and some 553 organisations nationwide benefited from the Scheme. €11.033m has been made available under the Scheme in 2008 and over 600 applications for funding have been received. 2008 will also be the first year where groups in receipt of more than €60,000 per annum will be eligible to receive multi-annual funding, thus giving large groups the opportunity to make more long-term plans to develop the invaluable service that they provide to thousands of people across the country.

The Family Mediation Service has expanded to 16 centres nationwide with another centre being operated on a pilot basis. There are four full-time offices in Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Galway with part-time offices situated in Athlone, Blanchardstown, Castlebar, Dundalk, Letterkenny, Raheny, Portlaoise, Sligo, Tallaght, Tralee, Waterford and Wexford, as well as the pilot office in Ballymun.