Family Resource Centres Seanad Éireann — 2026-04-15 ============================================================ Seán Kyne (FG), Cultural and Educational Panel Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCathaoirleach. Tá mé buíoch as an deis seo a fháil inniu sa Seanad. Tá fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit, an Teachta Feighan. The Minister of State, Deputy Feighan, is welcome to the Chamber today to discuss the issues of family resource centres and the need for one in Clifden and the north Connemara area. The Minister of State will be familiar with Galway and Connemara. It is a large area, geographically sparse with pockets of population in many different, remote areas of the community centred around the service town of Clifden. Family resource centres are hugely important in terms of their interventions and working with the disadvantaged and those in need. Oughterard presently serves the Connemara area. However, looking at the map of the country where there are 121 family resource centres, I believe there is a gap in the north Connemara-Clifden area for a dedicated family resource centre. This would provide family support and well-being services including one-to-one support parenting programmes, low-cost counselling and youth supports such as after-school programmes, holiday activities and targeted support for young people at risk. It would provide community development initiatives including groups for older people, carers and new communities. It would also offer practical supports such as information and advocacy to help people to become more sustainable and responsive to local needs. I believe a dedicated centre would be a perfect fit for Clifden providing a non-stigmatising walk-in hub where people could access support early, before issues escalate. The Clifden-north Connemara area has some unique challenges in terms of precarious work linked to the hospitality and tourism area, which is impacted during the winter period. There are traditional industries such as farming and fishing which have their own challenges. There are some 523 households in council houses across Connemara, alongside sheltered and housing for older people and mental health service users. There are also 500 people on the live register including a growing number of those under the age of 25. Again, that may be linked to precarious employment. I believe this would be a perfect fit for a family resource centre to engage with the services and complement the services presently in Oughterard. What I am looking for is advice in terms of how we could progress this. What engagement is needed? What would be the pathway to developing a family resource centre in the area? Obviously, it is linked to budget but there also are practicalities in respect of the capital and current budget which would be important, as well as the know-how on how these issues are decided. What criteria are in place to decide where a new family resource centre would be established? What advice can the Minister of State's Department give in relation to establishing a family resource centre for the Clifden and north Connemara area? --- Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted. Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-04-15/debate/main Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:48+00:00 Sitting date: 2026-04-15