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

I have an open mind as to whether the Rape Crisis Network should be funded by Tusla. I would be interested to find out from the network which body it would prefer to receive funding from and the reasons for its preference. The Deputy raises valid points and I will certainly look into them.

I should point out the some of the actions the Government is taking with regard to sexual violence to change attitudes and ensure perpetrators are punished. The second national strategy on domestic, sexual and gender-based violence runs from 2016 to 2021. We are nearing completion on the actions necessary for Ireland to ratify the Council of Europe convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, also known as the Istanbul Convention. The Domestic Violence Act, which was enacted at long last on 8 May, significantly enhances the legal protections available to victims of domestic violence. In addition, we published the general scheme of the Sex Offenders (Amendment) Bill, which contains valuable provisions to assist in the management of serious sexual offenders upon release, including tagging and a better sex offender register.

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