Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

It is not the first time I have seen Tusla causing great problems, identifying areas, putting funding in different areas and taking it from other areas. There is an issue concerning St Helena's Family Resource Centre and Tusla. The RCNI is very clear that it is losing €250,000. If Tusla is going to recruit eight additional staff, I suggest it puts the money into the front-line services. That is where it should go. This is a front-line service that delivers a massive amount of advice to people. It deals with one in five women in our society. Literally thousands of children associated with the women in our society are witnesses to violence and are affected in some way.

Since 1996, 207 women have been murdered, with 54% of them being murdered by their partners or ex-partners. Staff from the RCNI have visited people's homes, given them advice over the phone and dealt with them on a one-to-one, face-to-face basis. We have seen the effects of this. I have seen the effects in my clinics many times. People have come in as a result of domestic violence, some of whom are in a terrible state. Apart from being beaten, they are emotionally distraught, with children by their sides, and I have witnessed this on a number of occasions. The extent is probably far greater than what is being reported. Many women will not go to the Garda.

I commend the work of Women's Aid, the RCNI and other groups that are tackling this issue. The number of people who have benefited from these services is massive and we cannot underestimate it.

The Minister should not accept the word of Tusla with regard to how it is dealing with funding because I have seen this issue arise in other areas. I am very worried about the approach Tusla has adopted to many projects.

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