RELATE INSTITUTE

Early day motion 862, tabled 4 February 2008 by Alan Meale (Labour). Signed by 42 members.

That this House is aware that Relate, the national charitable organisation dealing with family and other relationship breakdowns across the UK, holds an outstanding reputation in its field of work, in particular in the county of Nottinghamshire in which it extends support to at least 2,500 people per year; understands that it is able to achieve this successfully, not least because of its supply of trained counsellors who are able to work with couples, young people and families in the area; is therefore alarmed by reports that the Relate Institute, a faculty of Doncaster College, a renowned centre of excellence for the study of couple and family relationships, which currently trains approximately 350 students per year, is to have its HEFCE funding withdrawn; and believes that such a move will undermine the Government's stated aim of reaching 900,000 extra individuals skilled in talking therapies by 2011 and create disincentives that will undermine preventative interventions for people needing relationship support in their already difficult lives.

Signatures by party: Labour 26, Conservative 7, Liberal Democrat 6, Independent 1, Plaid Cymru 1, Social Democratic and Labour Party 1.