Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

These matters will be dealt with as crimes. I accept the Deputy's point that signing a convention does not mean the issue will be dealt with and will not happen again. All of the groups were invited by the Minister to attend the seminar recently in Dublin Castle to get their views on a programme of action to be put in place. This is being followed through. Also, the Joint Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality will report on the hearings it held in February this year following a number of submissions regarding domestic and sexual violence. The Minister for Justice and Equality will take the committee recommendations seriously when available and will consider them in the context of the proposals that came from Dublin Castle.

Cosc, the National Office for the Prevention of Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence, is an executive office of the Department of Justice and Equality and it is driving the implementation of the national strategy on dealing with domestic, sexual and gender-based violence in the programme for 2010-2014. The office has commenced a review of that, with a view to devising a new strategy. This will mean new legislation. Cosc's role is to address domestic, sexual and gender-based violence from the perspective of a number of Departments and it endeavours to facilitate co-ordination across the areas of justice, housing, health, education, family support and the community sector. We are well aware of the issues.

The recommendations from the Oireachtas committee and from the groups that participated at Dublin Castle will play an important part in regard to the Minister being able to set out a programme for action. A number of the groups were funded directly from the Department of Justice and Equality, with a view to providing information and education. Hopefully, the committee recommendations and the group proposals will enable the Minister to put in place an effective programme of action to deal with this issue and allow her to sign the Istanbul convention and keep it a priority for the Garda to implement.

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