Tusla axes funding for Catholic marriage courses

THE Child and Family Agency has scrapped funding for Accord’s marriage preparation courses – with just over a week to go before the May 22 referendum on allowing same-sex couples to wed.

Tusla told the Catholic group that total annual funding of more than €300,000 for marriage preparation courses it provides has been withdrawn.

A May 7 letter from the Child and Family Agency to Accord said: ‘Regrettably, while Tusla greatly appreciates the valuable work you have undertaken over the years, a decision has been made to withdraw funding for marriage preparation courses from 2015 onwards.’ It said applications for other funding will be processed as normal.

According to the Irish Catholic, it is understood Accord had no idea the annual grant would be slashed. In an interview with the newspaper, Bishop Kevin Doran questioned whether the axing of the funding was ‘part of a wider policy of the Government’ to withdraw funding from Catholic agencies. He said: ‘It seems to me that if the State does have a commitment to marriage, as the Constitution requires it to do, it is a rather strange move to be withdrawing funding from pre-marriage preparation courses.’

Bishop Denis Nulty, president of Accord, described the decision to withdraw funding is an ‘obvious retrograde step for society’ and called for it to be reversed. The Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin said: ‘I am very disappointed that Tusla has made this decision which will undermine a vital service provided to women and men preparing for marriage.’

Tusla said decisions were conveyed to or- ganisations following the sign-off on the agency’s budget by Children’s Minister James Reilly and then by the board of Tusla in April.

Decisions were made according to criteria measuring the impact on the protection and welfare of children, said Tusla.

It said: ‘While Tusla values the work of marriage preparation courses and recognises their value for the long-term benefit of children it was necessary at time of limited resources to prioritise services operating at the frontline.’

Tusla said Accord had received €1.992million last year in funding from the agency and this year would get €1.6million.