Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputies Pringle and Halligan for raising this important topic and I welcome the opportunity to clarify the situation. I absolutely share their concern about this issue in regard to sexual violence and the need to have a cohesive and comprehensive response. Yesterday I had the opportunity to work with the Rape Crisis Network Ireland when I launched two more of its very valuable reports into sexual violence in this country and the various issues that arise in regard to it. For all of those reasons, I welcome the opportunity to clarify the Government's approach to strengthening the provision of domestic and sexual violence services.

While overall responsibility for policy in this area rests with the Minister for Justice and Equality, the new Child and Family Agency, which is under my remit, has specific responsibility for funding rape crisis centres previously funded by the HSE, and it is in that context that I am responding to the House.

The decision taken by the Government to set up the new agency was informed by the work of the task force which I established in September 2011 and which reported in July 2012. The task force considered that domestic and sexual violence services should form an integral part of the remit of the new agency due to the significant impact domestic violence has on children's welfare, as the Deputies have outlined. The recommendation of the task force relating to domestic and sexual violence services was accepted by Government and discussed in this House when we put the legislation for the establishment of the agency through the House some weeks ago. The functions of the agency include responsibility for the care and protection of victims of domestic, sexual or gender-based violence, whether in the context of the family or otherwise.

This area is now, for the first time, under national direction. I want to advise the House that, as part of the establishment of the new Child and Family Agency, a dedicated position of programme manager for domestic, sexual and gender-based violence is being created, so we now have national co-ordination for the first time. The new national programme manager, who is herself very skilled and experienced in the areas to which the Deputies referred, will take up her position on 3 February next.

Funding has also been separated out in order to get absolute clarity given that, previously, it was part of a very broad HSE budget. The budget that has been identified is some €17.4 million for the provision of domestic and sexual violence services.

It includes the funding of 60 services throughout the country, comprising €10 million for 20 crisis refuges, more than €4 million for 16 rape crisis centres and almost €3.5 million for 24 support services. Since the establishment of the agency on 1 January 2014, there has been a single line of accountability for all resources made available to services responding to domestic, sexual and gender-based violence. Previously, there were a range of local funders in children's services, primary care and social inclusion. I further assure the House and have checked again this morning that funding is ring-fenced to provide front-line services in this area.

With respect to support services, I am advised that the Rape Crisis Network of Ireland, RCNI, had a two year contract with the HSE which was due to finish on 31 December 2013. I have discussed this matter with Gordon Jeyes who has been in detailed discussions with the RCNI right through to the end of December when it was fully briefed on the position in place and what was happening. The contract was extended to 31 March 2014 but due to the level of the support services involved and the value of the contract, a tendering process for reappointment of a service is required under EU regulations. We have had many discussions in this House in recent days and weeks about governance, regulations, voluntary bodies and following proper procedures. That is the situation in respect of that particular funding.

The national programme manager with special responsibility for domestic, sexual and gender-based violence will work with the head of procurement in the agency to develop a tender process. It is open to all qualified providers, including the RCNI, which has an excellent track record, to tender for this new contract. As the provision of these supports will involve a tendering process, I hope the House appreciates that I cannot go into too much further detail in advance of the contracts being placed.

Due to the complex nature of the issues involved in domestic and sexually based violence and the need for a co-ordinated and effective response to these issues, the national office for the prevention of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence, Cosc, was established as an executive office in the Department of Justice and Equality in 2007. Cosc formulated a comprehensive cross-Government strategy which combines the best efforts of a very broad range of organisations in this area. This strategy runs to 2014. Cosc is currently in the process of preparing a new cross-sector strategy. This will be important as well.

I believe we have the right structures in place, as I have outlined, to drive forward the much-needed reform of children and family services. We will continue to deliver. I accept the point both Deputies are making about the priority in this area and the importance of the work. We want to deliver a comprehensive and integrated service to vulnerable children and their families, and this will require the support of various Departments and agencies and the support of society in general. We need a broad community response to the issues outlined by the Deputies. There is a new EU directive on working with victims of domestic violence that highlights the need for a very broad-based response in communities. I look forward to discussing that in the House as well.

See this speech in context