Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)

The National Crime Council, the Law Reform Commission and the Law Society have all recommended at various stages dating back to 1999 that the probation and welfare service have a role in the family courts providing reports and advice for the Judiciary around barring orders and the like. Why has the Minister, to date, not made provisions for this to happen? If he is planning provisions, when are they expected?

The NDVIA has piloted a positive scheme in the Dún Laoghaire and Bray court districts involving a set of work practices that seek to maximise victims' safety. Independent evaluation of the pilot has shown that crucial supports from the NDVIA have encouraged victims to stick to the legal process rather than drop out and suffer the consequences, as victims have done in this society. The NDVIA monitors and tracks offenders' behaviours and provide risk assessments to the courts. Does the Minister of State agree that the role and work of the NDVIA has been vital in the pilot area and that such a role is absolutely vital into the future and should be rolled out nationally, particularly in the absence of this role being undertaken by the probation and welfare service?

The NDVIA also engages in bilateral work with key agencies such as the Garda, the Courts Service, the probation and welfare service, the HSE and the Judiciary through training, promoting and standardising recording procedures in the scandalous area of domestic violence. The Minister of State said he cannot guarantee funding into the future because he is awaiting a report which he expects to receive in January. Will the Minister of State ensure that on receipt of the last report, there will be a quick turnaround — because funding for the project ends in February — to ensure there is no stalling of this scheme, if he agrees to go ahead with it and that victims of violence are not left without the supports of this vital service? Will the Minister of State meet with the intervention agency or arrange a meeting between it and officials from his Department as soon as possible to discuss the options for the extension of this pilot scheme to ensure that funding and the project can continue beyond February 2007?

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