Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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716. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs her plans to increase the funding allocation to the family resource centre, FRC, programme in view of the budget 2017 increase to Tusla's budget; if she will allocate €21.126 million for the FRC national programme to support voluntary boards of management in meeting the basic operational costs for the 109 FRCs throughout the country; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34662/16]

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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Arising from Budget 2017, I will shortly be issuing Tusla with its 2017 Performance Statement in line with the provisions of the Child and Family Agency Act, 2013. Tusla will, in response to the Performance Statement, prepare a Business Plan for 2017 which will be submitted to me for consideration.

The precise level of funding to be allocated to the Family Resource Centre Programme will be considered by Tusla, in preparing its Business Plan, having regard to the overall level of funding available in 2017, which will exceed €700m, including the additional Budget 2017 provision.

It is not my intention to prescribe the overall level of funding to be allocated by Tusla to family support services, including the Family Resource Centre Programme. It is more appropriate, in my view, that Tusla first sets out its proposals for this important service area, having regard to its statutory remit and taking account of the totality of funding available next year.