Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

That is no problem. I thank the Chair for letting me in. This is a really interesting and important conversation. While I understand we are under pressure with time, I want to ask two short questions of Women's Aid. The first is on the issue of victims being able to stay in their own accommodation rather than the perpetrator being able to stay and the victim having to move. What kind of work could we do around that? Are there any ideas of how we can eliminate the possibility of the victim being driven out? As that is the norm, it means there will be fewer victims reporting the domestic violence situation because they will hide behind the fact that we have a housing crisis etc.

That leads me into my next question on the Housing for All plan by the Government. It was mentioned that there needs to be a medium and long-term consideration of accommodation for victims within that plan. How do witnesses think that can happen and what sort of measures would they envisage going into the Housing for All plan to deal with domestic violence? I ask this because in my area, Dublin South-Central, our councillors are getting funding from Dublin City Council for a domestic violence service worker to be in the area full time to help victims navigate the services that are available to them. That might be a model we could follow if we manage to secure the funding for that.

I was struck by what Dr. Saidléar said earlier about the need for funding to allow the witnesses to do a professional and permanent job, and that they would not always be on the precarious footing of wondering whether they will we get funding this year, this terms of the other. I am fully aware that has been the case with the historical record of domestic violence rape crisis services in the State. How should we argue for budgeting around these services? What would the witnesses recommend? Ms Blackwell provided this to a certain degree in her contribution but if they were properly funded, what services could be provided in the future, which cannot currently be provided and that would have a major impact on this entire issue?