Family Resource Centres
Seanad Éireann — 2026-09-29
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Victor Boyhan (IND), Agricultural Panel

I thank the Cathaoirleach for selecting this Commencement matter and the Minister of State, Deputy Higgins, for coming to take it. It is an area she is passionate about and fiercely committed to.
I join in welcoming our guest from Kerala. It is great to have people from other jurisdictions and representative groups. That is very much part of the spirit of our Parliament, one that is diverse and inclusive, and that engages and welcomes. I therefore wish Mr. Oommen great Irish hospitality and welcome him to the Oireachtas.
Unlike many Members of the Oireachtas who raise stuff about the 2027 budget, I am raising this because it is important, fair and appropriate that we track promises made in the budget announcement for 2026.
Sometimes, we get lost in everything that is ahead of us and do not measure or check the deliverables that were promised in budget 2026. Last year, the Minister announced the establishment of ten new family resource centres, with one each for counties Kerry, Mayo, Wexford, Tipperary, Donegal, Leitrim, Limerick, Louth, Longford and Dublin. Those new centres are in addition to existing centres. This was made possible based on the funding that the Minister and her Department secured as part of the budget 2026 negotiations. It is important to acknowledge that, despite what the public or, sometimes, people in here think, all Ministers bat hard for their sectors and Departments.
Life is a long learning curve for all of us, and I am still learning. We do not all think the same and we do not all have the same hierarchy of priorities. Although we have priorities, there clearly are resource issues and implications. I want to acknowledge the very significant contribution that budget 2026 made to the Minister of State's Department, as it resulted in the number of family resource centres being increased from 126 to 136, which is a steady incremental improvement. As part of budget 2026, the Department also secured minimum funding for all family resource centres, with the amount increased from €160,000 to €180,000, which was welcomed by all of the family resource centres. The trajectory is going the right way. It is not going back or down. It is forward, and that is positive.
I will quote what the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality, Deputy Foley, said after she, the Minister of State and the Department had secured this deal in budget 2026. She said:
[Family Resource Centres] are of the community and for the community and by the community and they represent our ongoing investment in children, families, and communities across Ireland. I intend to continue via the Budgetary process the expansion of the network of Family Resource Centres over the lifetime of this government.
Clearly, budgetary matters are a matter for the Government and Departments, but the Minister clearly indicated that she would look favourably on this area. I hope that we will read something of that next week.
Supporting families with the appropriate services and supports they need, close to where their communities are, is very much central to the ethos and objectives of the family resource centre programme, so I welcome that. Each family resource centre brings its unique local strengths and a spirit of partnership, enabling support for local people and local communities. Each one is different within the context of family resource centres. It is important that we continue to strengthen communities and see greater inclusion and integration and early intervention because all of those have massive long-term effects. More importantly, they bring cohesion and support to our communities, including for the children and the families who benefit from the family resource centres.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-09-29/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-10-05T01:00:59+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-09-29