Official figures for marital breakdown are just the "tip of the iceberg" as hundreds of cases do not come before the courts, according to the Family Support Agency.
An Oireachtas committee was told yesterday that many separations take place through private legal contracts and do not form part of the official statistics drawn from the Courts Service.Similarly, more than 1,400 cases of marital breakdown are dealt with through the Family Support Agency's mediation service, which is aimed at avoiding the courts process.
The agency's work is aimed at helping to prevent the breakdown of marriages, to support ongoing parenting relationships for children and to provide community-based support for families.
Muriel Walls, a solicitor and board member of the agency, said people without property or significant assets were more likely to avoid the courts process where possible.
"The number of marriage breakdown cases which go through the legal process are just the tip of the iceberg . . . many people choose not to go down that route, especially where there are no assets or property in dispute."
Ms Walls said many judicial separations tended to reflect middle-class marriage breakdown, where assets such as property or inheritance were in dispute.
Central Statistics Office figures show there were 3,347 divorces last year and 1,258 judicial separations. The number of judicial separations has doubled since 1991, while divorce has trebled since 1997. However, Ireland still has one of the lowest divorce rates in Europe.
Meanwhile, the demand for the agency's mediation service for troubled marriages has trebled since 1997, according to Pat Bennett, chief executive of the agency.
However, he expressed concern at waiting lists of up to seven or eight months among couples seeking to use the service.
"It is of great concern because, in the absence of being able to access the mediation service, people may go down the confrontational route of the courts.
"Dealing with the courts can be difficult and is not always a good outcome," Mr Bennett said.
Around 60 per cent of couples who use the mediation services report having a "successful" outcome.
The longest waiting lists for mediation services are in Galway and Wexford (seven to eight months), followed by Blanchardstown (four to five months), Cork and Dublin city (three to four months).
He said the agency had written to the Minister for Social and Family Affairs, Séamus Brennan, seeking additional resources to help tackle the backlog.
There are 20 mediators nationally and the agency is examining a number of options, such as appointing a panel of mediators, to deal with the waiting lists.
The agency also funds counselling services for couples and children affected by marital breakdown.
Research suggests a wide variety of factors are behind the increase in marriage breakdown in Ireland, including stress and pressure associated with attempts to strike a balance between work and family life.
Fine Gael's spokesman on social and family affairs, David Stanton TD, said much focus needed to be placed on supports in newly-developed communities.
"We're going around building massive housing estates but we're not doing much work about building communities, which is vital in supporting families," Mr Stanton said.
