Surge in use of support service

THERE has been a six-fold increase in the number of couples availing of family mediation since divorce was legalised in Ireland.

The Family Mediation Service marked its 21st year in operation yesterday and revealed 14,406 couples had used its services during that time.

This increased each year from 1997. In 2006, 1,500 couples sought mediators for separation agreements. In 1996, there were 250.