Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I listened to what the Minister said about the fact this was established independently and is a transitional service, but my question is whether it is needed. I would argue, and anyone with half a brain would agree, that it certainly is. It is proposed to close the service on 18 December. As the Minister knows, 25 December is Christmas, and the statistics over the years show this is a time of huge pressure on families when a lot of domestic violence breaks out.

The Minister stated he hopes it can be satisfactorily resolved by allowing sufficient time for all avenues to be explored by the relevant parties. This is grand, but it is kicking the can down the road. I was hoping to hear from the Minister today that some mechanism or avenue of funding would keep this vital service open.

I began by saying it is in an ideal location and fits the criteria. Whether it is secondary to emergency housing, it is part of the chain and the next step is housing. It is a vital part of what we need to do as a society and if it is not being done by the State it should be. We should not rely on voluntary housing organisations or religious organisations for these vital services but unfortunately we do, whether in education, special needs or other areas. We push the problem onto someone else.

I do not know whether the Minister can say anything positive to the staff working in the centre or, more importantly, to those who use the centre. The big question is where to put these families and where they go next. There is also the next tranche of families and children who are trying to get into the system. Where will they go if we do not have this vital piece of infrastructure?

See this speech in context