Voluntary pregnancy counselling groups will continue to receive public funding after the State's new Crisis Pregnancy Agency is set up, the annual conference of Cura heard at the weekend.
The Minister of State for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands, Ms Mary Coughlan, told the conference that the Government deeply appreciated the work of Cura and other similar groups.
She said the Crisis Pregnancy Agency would work in consultation with both statutory and non-statutory agencies in drawing up a national strategy to address crisis pregnancy and oversee its implementation.
"There are of course many agencies and organisations, such as Cura, already working in the field of crisis pregnancy and related services . . . I would like to assure you that this Government is committed to the continued funding of these services," she said.
The Crisis Pregnancy Agency held its inaugural meeting in December and last month advertised the post of director. It was established as part of the Government's response to the large numbers of Irish women seeking abortions in Britain.
The Minister said the agency's primary task would be the prevention of crisis pregnancies and would focus on issues such as education and other services for young people. Another priority would be the provision of supports and assistance to women with crisis pregnancies "so that they will feel that they have genuine alternatives to abortion".
"Women who have had an abortion have particular needs also and this is another area which the agency is being asked to address," she added.