Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Government has been understandably and correctly criticised for its poor legislative programme. There are many examples of this but I want to ask the Taoiseach about one specific area. Today, SafeIreland is holding a conference entitled "Understanding Coercive Control - Domestic Violence, Domination and the Defence of Liberty". It is to be addressed by Evan Stark, an American academic. Mr. Stark has criticised the State's record for investigating and prosecuting domestic violence. He has previously pointed out that for every 100 reports of physical or sexual assault, only approximately two result in any kind of policing action. Almost nobody is receiving any significant custodial sentences. Ellen O'Malley-Dunlop, the chair of the National Women's Council of Ireland, has also called for specialist training in and an understanding of coercive and controlling behaviour to be provided to first responders and judges who deal with issues of domestic violence. Today's conference will examine some of the legislation that this State needs to implement to meet our obligations under the Istanbul Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence and the EU directive on victims' rights.

The Istanbul Convention was formally adopted by the Council of Europe on 7 April 2011 and entered into force almost three years ago on 1 August 2014. It took the Government another year to sign it on 5 November 2015. At the time, the Government also published 18 outstanding actions necessary to ratify the convention in the multi-annual action plan. It was intended that these would be delivered in the first quarter of 2018. One of the key actions is the enactment of a consolidated domestic violence Bill. As the Taoiseach knows, the purpose of the Bill is to consolidate and update the law. We have been waiting and waiting for this legislation and I am blue in the face, as are others, from raising this issue on the floor of the Dáil. Today I would like an answer as to when we will see the Bill. When will it complete its legislative journey and be signed into law?

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