THE Minister for Equality and Law Reform, Mr Taylor, said yesterday that, one of the things he was most proud of doing, was securing "unprecedented levels of funding" for counselling services.
He was speaking at a presentation organised by Accord, the Catholic Marriage Advisory Council. The group wished to thank him "for giving us so much encouragement and assistance over the last four years," said national director, Father Dan Cavanagh.
Mr Taylor, who is retiring from politics, would, he said, be "a great loss to everyone".
The minister was presented with a book of Accord Awareness Week, which took place last month, as a celebration of the event's effectiveness.
"Accord," said Father Cavanagh, "owes a debt of gratitude to Minister Taylor and to the Department of Equality and Law Reform." The Department was, he said, "committed to supporting marriage and family life.
Mr Taylor described Accord as "a national institution," whose role was "extremely important and was likely to grow in importance in the years to come."
His "fondest wish," as he left office, was that it "will go from strength to strength in the future".
Speaking to The Irish Times, Mr Taylor said the Government valued the institution of marriage "very highly" and, in a practical way. That was why they had made so much funding available.
