Kathleen Funchion (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I would like to pass along my condolences and thoughts to the Minister, Deputy Zappone. I appreciate that the Minister of State, Deputy Stanton, has stepped in to take this matter. I welcome the fact that Tusla is going to conduct an audit of services. However, I raised yesterday at a Joint Committee on Children and Youth Affairs meeting that I would have some doubts about Tusla and its capabilities with all of the crises that it is dealing with at the moment.

Housing needs to be tied in with this as well. Something that I failed to say in my first contribution is that Amber has had to introduce a three-month stay. That is the first time it has had to introduce that. After three months, they are going to have to ask women to leave the refuge. That is extremely difficult on the women and children as well as on the staff and management there, who are trying to do their best. They are already under pressure and have to deal with so many difficult situations that they end up having to turn away others. They will obviously offer other supports to people but might not be able to provide the accommodation. Now, after three months, they will potentially have to ask people to leave. Housing needs to work alongside this.

I urge the Minister to speak to the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government about this to see if there is a possibility that Tusla and the Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government can work together. It is an issue of funding for domestic violence services but also an issue of accommodation, because that is why they are in this situation in the first place. I believe it is really important that an audit is carried out in Carlow and Kilkenny on the emergency accommodation needs and the domestic violence needs in order that those two services can be clearly distinguished and that one is not taking from the other, which always seems to happen when a service directly affects women.

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