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.

Céad míle fáilte roimh and a huge welcome to our dignitaries, who join us from Kerala in India. My council area is that of South Dublin County Council. Its former mayor, who was elected for the Tallaght South electoral district, is from Kerala. I thank the dignitaries for being here.

I thank Senator Boyhan for raising this important issue and giving me the opportunity to respond on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Foley. I also thank him for acknowledging the process behind the budget negotiations and the amount of work that goes into that. I take this opportunity to thank the officials in my Department who are working as we speak on negotiations for the upcoming budget.

I agree with the Senator from both governance and performance perspectives that we measure the progress that is achieved year on year and measure the progress against the goals for which we sought and received funding. I am delighted to have the opportunity to do that here on the floor today.

The Minister greatly appreciates the advocacy of the Senator on behalf of the family resource centre programme. She knows that the Senator has done extensive work in this area.

As the Senator stated, last year's budget delivered the largest increase in funding for the family resource centre network in eight years. This additional investment enabled the Minister to deliver on the programme for Government commitment to strengthen the family resource centre programme by increasing funding and expanding both its capacity and network.

As the Senator said, funding was secured to provide an increase in the minimum core funding to a new base level of €180,000, up from the previous base level of €160,000. That benefited a significant number of family centre programme members. The Department allocates that core funding for the family resource centre programme through Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. Tusla administers the programme, which supports members throughout the country. In addition to that increase in core funding, membership of the family resource centre programme in 2026 also grew. The Senator mentioned this in his own contribution. It has grown by ten members, from 126 programme members to 136. That followed the expansion the year previously from 121 members to 126 members. We doubled that growth trajectory from five new members in 2025 to ten in 2026.

Recent increases in the family resource centre programme membership have been very welcome developments for an additional 15 communities in need of this comprehensive range of services. As the Senator said, and as the Minister, Deputy Foley, said previously, these are for the community, these are of the community, and these are by the community. The Minister, Deputy Foley, understands that Tusla's national commissioning unit, along with the family resource centre national forum, have been working with the new family resource centres to integrate them. That growth has already been seen on the ground. This weekend, the Minister, Deputy Foley, officially opened the Áiseanna na hÓige family resource centre which is in Dingle. That is one of the ten most recently announced programme members. Earlier this month, the Minister, Deputy Foley, announced €1.3 million in once-off capital investment in Ireland's network of 136 family resource centres. This will also provide each centre with a once-off capital allocation of €10,000 in 2026. That will support locally identified capital, premises, equipment, ICT and infrastructure priorities. It gives the family resource centres the flexibility to identify the investments that will make the greatest difference to the children, to the families and to the communities that they serve.

The benefit of community-based services such as family resource centres cannot be overstated. Many of us have seen first-hand the impacts that family resource centres have on the communities they serve. They engage with vulnerable families, they offer services to individuals across the whole life cycle, from early years to senior citizens, and crucially, they foster a positive and inclusive community spirit. That range of services can be extensive and can be determined by the needs of relevant communities. It is particularly important to note that many are delivered at no cost or low cost to families who may otherwise not be able to access these services.

I thank the Minister of State for that comprehensive response. It is important that we track but also that we tell the good news. I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House. I ask her to convey my thanks to the Minister, Deputy Foley. One thing I thought about as the Minister of State was speaking is that we have heard a lot about this budget in recent times, and Government policy's targeting approach, where we target the need most. Targeted services and development opportunities, as part of the family resource centre, also act as a focal point. That is important for onward referrals and mainstream services, because at that point, things are picked up at a local level, but they do not always have the capacity or the skill sets. This may not necessarily even be appropriate, but I suggest the Minister look at the interconnectivity in any future review of these family resource centres and how effectively they are integrating and linking in, in a holistic and a bigger way, with the national services.

I commend the family resource centre national forum, which prepared an impressive pre-budget submission for 2027. It is a collaborative document by all of the family resource centres across the country. I thank the Minister of State again. Well done to her officials. I join her in that too. This is a powerful, effective movement working on the ground, supporting local people and local communities. It is community, it is of our community and it is responding to our community. Well done.

I thank the Senator for raising this important issue. It is fantastic that the last two budgets have allowed for 15 new family resource centres to be established. I thank the Senator for pointing out the pre-budget submission that was worked on. I will ensure that is brought to the attention of the Minister, Deputy Foley, in the course of budgetary negotiations. As the Senator is aware, the programme for Government has a commitment to work to increase funding and expand the capacity and network of family resource centres. That will obviously be front of mind as we continue negotiations. To use the Senator's own words, they are a powerful, effective community movement, and our Department fully agrees, as does Tusla, which manages the project.

On a separate note, I know the Senator is organising an event for the Oireachtas to mark the 50th anniversary of Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind on Thursday.

I very much look forward to attending that event and recognising the remarkable work the organisation has carried out over the last 50 years.