Sir, - Your editorial (May 19th) in relation to the report on the Commission on the Family highlighted a number of important aspects of the Commission's recommendations.
The Government, through the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs, Dermot Ahern, has already provided additional funding amounting to £2.75m as a first step towards the implementation of a number of the recommendations to which you referred.
In response to a pre-budget submission from the Commission, funding of £700,000 was provided in the Government's first budget for the first 25 Family Resource Centres (out of 100 recommended by the Commission), the funding of the Family Mediation Service was tripled from its previous level of £300,000 to £900,000, and an extra £600,000 was provided for marriage and child counselling.
As recommended by the Commission the Minister has also provided £850,000 for the establishment of a Family Affairs Unit within his Department to co-ordinate family policy and to pursue the recommendations of the Commission across the full range of policy areas covered in the report. As he stated at the launch of the report's findings, the Minister sees the report as making a very important contribution to the future of family policy and indeed this assessment has been shared by almost all commentators.
The report sets out a long-term strategy for family policy. The Government is committed in its Action Programme to supporting the stability of the family and ensuring that families are at the centre of all its policies. - Yours, etc., Muriel Cleary
Press Officer, Department of Social, Community & Family Affairs, Aras Mhic Dhiarmada, Dublin 1.