Charlie O'Connor (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)

I acknowledge the presence of my colleague, Deputy Haughey. It is my first time to speak in the Dáil since he was deservedly appointed a Minister of State. Naturally, he has visited Tallaght, and I look forward to working with him for the next 90 days and beyond. I wish him well.

I listened to the contributions of other speakers last night and I support the comments of my colleague, Deputy Fahey. When speaking on these matters I tend to talk about Tallaght, and that generates a reaction. However, tonight I will discuss Tallaght because, like other areas, it has problems of this nature. An organisation called Saoirse has been working for the past 12 years to achieve the important goal of opening a refuge in Tallaght for women and children escaping violence in the home. People who supported the organisation over the years considered it a much needed service given that there are only two other refuges in Dublin.

In my role as a public representative, a member of the health board from 1994 and as the founding chairperson of the south-western area health board, I, with other colleagues, strongly supported this group. Over the years it made much progress, although its members will confirm that they had many struggles and overcame many obstacles in that period. However, they pointed out that this brought them closer together and strengthened their determination to succeed.

Tallaght is the third largest population centre in the country so one would expect problems. I often remarked that it was not right that, like other communities, we should send our problems on the bus into the centre of the city to be resolved. That was the case with a number of problems, including drug addiction. I am pleased that in the past year Saoirse was able to announce that it had secured premises with the help of South Dublin County Council. It has now opened a women's refuge in Tallaght village with the financial assistance of the HSE, which appointed a manager last January and worked with the board of management on adapting the building and sourcing additional funding. The refuge was officially opened by President McAleese several weeks ago. I welcome that development.

It was a difficult journey for Saoirse to final success. I was present at the opening of the refuge. It has six units, which are full. The organisation is already looking for more space to accommodate the average of two families a day it is obliged to turn away. In the many briefings Saoirse has given me it has pointed out that the issue of funding for domestic violence services is a major concern. It has had to struggle and prove the need for funding to run the services instead of being given dedicated funding from a dedicated section within a Department. The organisation has asked me to express the delight of the community that this facility has been opened in Tallaght. It is open to families from all over the country who are in need of a safe refuge from violence.

The members of Saoirse tell me that their goal is to see the day that sufferers of domestic violence are not forced to leave their homes because of the abuse perpetrated on them and where the abuser should have to be accountable for his or her behaviour. They are operating an outreach service for women in the community with whom they can work.

I wish to be sensitive about this subject. As is the case with my colleagues, many people who are affected by this problem come to me about it. I am happy to compliment the proposers of this motion and to speak up for the women's refuge in Tallaght. Saoirse was anxious that I do that. Like other people providing such services, they find it difficult to get the message across to the agencies as to who should fund them. That is a challenge for everybody.

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