Réada Cronin (Kildare North, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Go raibh maith agat. I welcome the Taoiseach to our committee. The Taoiseach's Department is responsible for the third strategy on domestic, sexual and gender-based violence implementation plan. That is a whole-of-government approach across Secretaries General and there is meant to be a dedicated secretariat in the Taoiseach's Department. Last week, we raised the proof aspect of domestic violence leave with IBEC and SIPTU. Is the Taoiseach in favour of it? If he is not, why did the Minister responsible for equality, Deputy O'Gorman, have in his report that employers should retain the request for reasonable proof? Who defines "reasonable"? What defines "proof"? How do you define a psychological injury? Is it two points for a bruise or four points for breaking the skin? I feel sick even talking like that because it is sick that we would expect a woman or man who has suffered domestic violence to provide proof for the paltry five days that is being proposed.

The Taoiseach is over a Government that is dealing with legacy issues on how this State has treated women. It brings us back to the dark days when women had to suffer extra social scrutiny about whether they could be trusted or not. I am deeply uncomfortable with the proof aspect. I will be talking on the work-life balance Bill this afternoon and I know this has not made it into the Bill. I believe it is the Minister's intention to introduce it on Committee Stage. I hope that after the reaction IBEC got last week, that will not happen. I would like the Taoiseach's comments on that matter.