Paul McAuliffe (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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I have heard the Taoiseach speak about our current system of domestic violence shelters. His commentary was that they have sprung up where communities, rather than the State, have responded and that that is the wrong way to approach it and there needs to be the national infrastructure that we talk about.

We are having the same issue with hospitals, schools and all other sorts of areas where we allowed voluntary or previously religious groups operate our social services, but this is slightly different. How do we integrate people who are currently providing those services into a national infrastructure that takes on board their experience and marries it with a national infrastructure to provide those services, in a way that they do not feel disempowered?

By the same token, inevitably, finances may be different when we move to a national structure. There may be regional structures and contracts of service that include the back end and financial management, rather than just a per-night type of approach. Has Ms McDermott talked about how we marry our voluntary system with a new State system? I know that is a lot to ask.