Dáil debates

Thursday, 20 October 2005

5:00 pm

Photo of Simon CoveneySimon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)

My motion also concerns crime, but it relates to how victims of crime are treated, and the need to continue the services provided by Victim Support in the Cork and Munster region. Financial support for the Victim Support organisation ceased on 31 March this year. I am aware of the reasons that happened and I do not wish to get into the merits of that debate. I hope the Minister of State's response does not waste too much time with it.

A commission was established and allocated a budget to make recommendations on how we should support victims of crime and what structures are necessary to do so. I do not have a difficulty with that approach. The problem is that Victim Support offices in Munster continue to function without State assistance. They continue to receive referrals and survive on volunteer work and private donations because no other structure is in place.

The main Victim Support office in the Munster region happens to be 50 yards from my constituency office in Cork, appropriately across the road from the Garda station on Anglesea Street and next door to the district courthouse. That office is busier than ever and last month alone approximately 40 referrals were made from doctors, the Garda and the Courts Service. It also deals with a large number of self-referrals.

The status quo is not sustainable. The service is running out of funds and private donations pay the rent. My concern does not lie with the retention of the name or reputation of Victim Support but with the service itself and the good people involved who provide a vital service. The commission is probably considering two options. One is to restore the Victim Support organisation nationally, perhaps with new management. The second is to develop regional structures, perhaps under a new name and with a new board of management.

The Minister must take an interest in this because if the situation continues and decisions are not made in the near future, the expertise and voluntary staff will be lost. This valuable resource for the victims of crime is being allowed to die a slow death while we wait for commission recommendations. We cannot allow these volunteers to dissipate because if they do, they will start to work in other sectors and they will not return. Approximately 110 volunteers work in the Munster region, and 80 of them are described as high quality and can ill afford to be lost. The organisation has ten branches throughout Cork city and county, Kerry and Limerick.

I know how vital the work done by the organisation is to the Garda, the doctors who make referrals and the courts because I work next door to its office. The Minister of State may well reply that it is the responsibility of the commission to find an answer and provide the resources. The fact remains that it is the responsibility of the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform to ensure that victims of crime are looked after and that we have proper well-funded structures to do that. However, the system is in danger of falling apart. I hope for a comprehensive response from the Minister of State that will give an optimistic outlook on what is likely to happen during the coming weeks.

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