Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent)
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Question 515: To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if she will review a matter (details supplied) regarding the family resource centre; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13809/12]

Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent)
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Question 516: To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs her views on a matter (details supplied) regarding the family resource centre programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13810/12]

Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent)
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Question 517: To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, with regards to the cuts in FSA grant aid to the family resource centre programmes, which are being delivered in a swift and rather brutal way, if she will consider making a more careful assessment of the ramifications of the cuts to avoid the possibility of destroying some services before their full value and benefit is realised; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13811/12]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 515 to 517, inclusive, together.

The Family Support Agency, under my Department, operates the Family Resource Centre Programme. The aim of the Family Resource Centre Programme is to combat disadvantage and improve the functioning of the family unit. There are 107 family resource centres throughout the country funded under the programme. The centres provide a range of services for families and groups at local level. They have an important role to play, in harnessing local community efforts, in support of improved outcomes for children and young people which is a key objective of the Department of Children and Youth Affairs.

On 5 December 2011, the Government announced the funding levels being made available to my Department in 2012. As part of the national effort to address Ireland's fiscal deficit, the Family Support Agency, like all other State bodies, has been asked to make significant savings across all the programmes which it administers. The Agency is required to achieve savings of 5% per annum over 2012 – 2014 on the costs of the Family Resource Centre Programme.

The Family Support Agency has written to the family resources centres advising them of the reduction in funding and the need to plan for change. The Agency is acutely aware of the challenges that the reduction in funding raises for the family resource centres throughout the country. The Agency has not stipulated how centres should apply the reduction in funding. The family resource centres are asked to focus, in particular, on addressing the scope for greater efficiency and for reduction in the administration and overhead costs associated with the day-to-day running of the centres. The Agency has acknowledged, however, that, given the extent to which funding for individual centres is accounted for by staff costs, boards of management may have to consider cutting salaries, in order to remain within budget over the period 2012 -2014.

The Family Support Agency has advised that family resource centres should work with the two regional support agencies that provide support and training to them and are available to provide guidance to assist centres to manage within the resources available.

In 2012 an allocation of €26.465m has been made available to the Family Support Agency to fund its services for families. This includes funding of over €15m for the Family Resource Centre Programme.