Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I assure the Deputy that domestic violence is an issue the Government takes very seriously. It is one we are determined to tackle and reduce as best we can through a suite of measures. It affects both men and women but it is very specifically dealt with in regard to women in the recently published Government strategy on women and girls. In addition, the Domestic Violence Bill has been published and is at Committee Stage. I ask the House to work together on an all-party basis to ensure that important legislation will go through.

On the question on the Cabinet sub-committee, domestic violence is covered by Cabinet sub-committee B. I have adopted a different approach to Cabinet sub-committees. In the past, there might have been 15 or 20 dealing with any issue deemed important, ranging from the Irish language to climate change - the list goes on - but the approach I have adopted is different. Just because something does not have a dedicated Cabinet sub-committee does not mean it is not important to the Government. We have a much smaller number of Cabinet sub-committees, each of which deals with very important issues, including domestic violence, which will be dealt with by Cabinet sub-committee B.

I did not receive notice of this question so I do not have an up-to-date note on it. I will endeavour to get back to the Deputy with a more detailed answer once I have it. Budgets across Departments have been increased very significantly. There was a €650 million increase in the health budget, and there was a 48% increase in the budget for housing. There was a substantial increase in the budget for the Department of Justice and Equality. Therefore, the budgetary increases for the Departments that deal with domestic violence – the Department of Justice and Equality, the Department of Health, and the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government – have been very substantial indeed. I am sure some of the additional resources will be dedicated to addressing the issues related to domestic violence.

With regard to whether we will spend another €1 million commissioning another report, or another statistical or academic study, on domestic violence is a matter that will have to be considered by Ministers. Departments up to this date have said they are satisfied with the statistics and information they have. Rather than spending €1 million on another study or statistical report, they would prefer to spend it on other things, such as services or additional shelters and housing. It is, however, a matter on which I absolutely have an open mind. If the people within the Departments believe expenditure on an academic analysis or statistical report should be prioritised over alternatives, I will be happy to consider it.

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