Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour) | Oireachtas source

As the Minister said, there is a duty under the Istanbul Convention to have that kind of service available. More important, though, there are a number of women around the country who need the service as a lifeline. If they are in a situation of immediate danger, they need to be able to call somebody on a 24-7 basis. I worry when I hear about commissioning processes. What is the timeline for the commissioning process? What we really need is to ensure the service is maintained. The Minister of State said she would be launching the helpline in September but I gather that Women's Aid will have to tender along with others so can she clarify that? Above all, can she give us an assurance that there will not be any gap in the service because of a problem with funding or the length of time the commissioning process might take?

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