Ms Mandy La Combre:

I can say something on proof. I have been negotiating workplace policies around domestic violence for some time within my union. In our sector, no employer we have dealt with is seeking proof. We already know the statistics that one in four women in the Republic of Ireland suffers domestic abuse and fewer than one in three actually reports it. We know even fewer report it when it comes to the workplace. The idea that we are putting more barriers in place such as seeking proof is, from a trade union perspective, a total non-runner, to be honest. We are not supportive of that and we do not believe that if people have to do it they will come forward. We are talking about emergency situations and, as my colleague, Mr. Joyce, said, how people can prove things like coercive control and stuff like that. The proof issue is a dodgy area to be getting into and an extra barrier to put in place for people.

In terms of five versus ten days' leave, we have workplace policies which have ten days' leave. It is a floor rather than a ceiling in the policies we have negotiated already. Employers have told us they do not want to reduce the number of days or never sought to look for fewer days. In the review process of policies they are not saying there is something that they want to reduce. The ten-day period is very necessary when we see the kind of things people need that leave for. Employment is sometimes the only safe space for somebody who is suffering domestic violence. People might need that leave for childcare, to meet agencies or for court hearings or meetings with gardaí. This is the time that those who are suffering abuse are hidden from their abuser and can access services. The number of days leave is very important and five is too few. Proof is not adequate.

On the privacy issue, I am a trade union official and a trained HR professional. I do not believe there should be anybody working in any employment or HR department who is not empathetic or does not have the ability to hold something confidential.