Ms Maria McDonald:

Yes, he is going to get me into trouble although I make trouble for myself sometimes too. Deputy Wallace made three points, the first of which relates to An Garda Síochána and training. I completely concur with the Deputy. Training must be provided for current staff members, not just for recruits coming out of Templemore, and appropriate resources must be made available to provide that training. I would like to see more victim support organisations involved in providing trauma training to members of An Garda Síochána so that they can better understand why victims of crime are sometimes not in a position to give evidence, to produce a victim impact statement or why they may do things that seem inappropriate, for example. Trauma training is very important in that context.

The second point related to fines. As I said already, I have to be quite careful about what I say here, given that our member organisations have different views on the prison service. That said, I personally have seen instances within the courts process where compensation has been required to be paid and the individual concerned was able to pay it but another individual would probably have gone to prison in those circumstances. In that sense, an individual's resources can determine whether he or she goes to jail in certain circumstances. If a fine is imposed, I would recommend that a victim surcharge or some form of compensation should be established in order to at least give money back to the community.

The Deputy also raised the issue of community service which is very effective. I have seen it work well. From the perspective of a defence lawyer, I have seen the benefits of community service. Certainly, it is a means of keeping people out of prison but it can also be of significant benefit to society as a whole, depending on the work undertaken. It is very helpful in certain circumstances.

As to whether the State is prepared to provide funding for victim support, there has been an increase in such funding in recent years. However, I am afraid that millions of euro need to be provided in this area and I do not say that lightly. We are not just talking here about victim support organisations being adequately funded, but also An Garda Síochána. The latter has seen a significant increase in resources in recent times, particularly for information and communications technology. Victims now engage with An Garda Síochána via information and communications technology and I know that the website is being changed at the moment. Money is all very well, but there must also be a willingness to change. I have been indicating for some time that changes need to be made to the Garda website for victims of crime. For example, if one clicks the information on support services tab, one sees a link to the Commission for Victims of Crime which does not exist anymore. I know that An Garda Síochána is updating its website and I welcome that but we cannot wait forever for the changes to be made. The victim support information should be updated now. We should not have to wait for those resources to be made available. Victims should be able to access that information online.

I have also been advocating for a long time a system that has been rolled out in the UK and in various formats in other jurisdictions, namely, a track-my-crime facility. Victims can log in securely and access details of their case. They are provided with a response to their queries within 24 hours. Information is also translated for those who do not speak English. This also means that there is a written record because often victims will say that they telephoned five or six times but no-one called them back. The e-mail format means that victims can receive the information they request. A pilot scheme was run in the UK and while there were some initial teething problems, the system has now been rolled out nationwide. In the long run, from a resource perspective, providing victims with information, support, protection and in some cases counselling, will reduce the costs to the State. In terms of hospitalisation, inquiries, complaints to GSOC and what is required and so forth, if victims are given the information they need straight away and resources are made available, that will facilitate a much better process for victims of crime and reduce costs for the State in the long run.