Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein)
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Question 30: To ask the Minister for Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs her intentions for the Family Support Agency; and in particular the funding for Family Support Centres. [7977/11]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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The Family Support Agency has a statutory role in relation to support services for families and its main functions include: - the Family and Community Services Resource Centre Programme; - the scheme of grants to voluntary organisations providing marriage, child and bereavement counselling services; and - the Family Mediation Service. The agency also has responsibility to undertake or commission research and to promote and disseminate information about family-related issues.

There are 107 Family Resource Centres (FRCs) throughout the country supported by the Agency. The aim of the FRC Programme is to combat disadvantage and improve the functioning of the family unit. The Programme emphasises the involvement of local communities in tackling the problems they face, and creating successful partnerships between voluntary and statutory agencies at community level. FRCs involve people from marginalised groups at all levels of the organisation, including their voluntary management committees.

Funding amounting to €31.7m is being provided to the Agency in 2011 for the support services it provides for families. This includes an amount of approx. €15.9m for the FRC Programme. I am confident that the 2011 allocation for the Programme is adequate to enable the continuation of the very valuable services provided by FRCs throughout the country to some of the most vulnerable families in our communities.

As the Deputy will be aware, the Government has decided that the Agency will come under the remit of the Department of Children and Youth Affairs. I believe that bringing together responsibility for all family support matters in one Department will provide a key opportunity to improve and enhance services for children and families. Arrangements are being made to ensure that all legislative and administrative requirements will be in place to ensure the smooth transfer of the Agency to the remit of the new Department in the next few weeks.

A decision has also been made, in principle, that the Family Mediation Service (FMS) will transfer from the Agency to the Department of Justice, Equality and Defence. This is in line with the Government's commitment to facilitate the use of mediation in family disputes in order to speed up the legal process, reduce costs and ameliorate the stress of contested court proceedings. The detailed arrangements for the transfer of the FMS will be progressed in the coming weeks in consultation with the Agency and other stakeholders.

Question No. 31 answered with Question No. 17.