Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I take some reassurance from the fact that the Minister has a clear protocol. Unfortunately, there is not a clear practice and that is why we are here. I would be more reassured if the Minister told me there is now a clear practice, that she has given direction in this regard and that letters of the kind in question will never be sent out again. The letter we referred to, brought to our attention and the attention of SPARK by the courageous woman involved, was not an aberration; it was a reflection of the practice in the Minister's Department in respect of people, mostly women, in receipt of the lone parent's allowance and also suffering as a result of domestic violence. The extent of domestic violence is absolutely extraordinary. Some 12,500 people per year are affected. The Safe Ireland document is worth reading. Deputy Coppinger and I have mentioned this, as have other female Deputies. Perhaps when the male Deputies come on board, we will have some change in the Dáil.

I did not doubt the training being provided by Women's Aid or Safe Ireland. I asked the Minister about the types of procedures that are in place for ongoing training. An understanding of domestic violence is extraordinarily complex to get across. It seems simple but it is a matter of bringing it home to staff. On top of that, 79% of those affected simply do not report domestic violence.

Let me return to the question by my colleague from Fianna Fáil. Could the Minister please confirm, given the extraordinary extent of domestic violence, that one does not need a protection order, barring order or safety order in one's hand to receive the payment? Could the Minister confirm that there is training ongoing?

See this speech in context