Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I accept what the Minister said in terms of who is responsible but I would think the Department is entitled to and should have information. I ask the Minister, if he does not have it to hand, to provide me with information on how many gardaí have undergone this training and when all gardaí, at least those in protective services units, will have undergone training. If the Minister does not have that to hand, I would ask him to provide it subsequently.

On a related issue, I welcome that the Government finally ratified the Istanbul Convention on Friday last. It is something for which Sinn Féin and many Deputies in this House have been calling for some time. However, it appears that the Government will already be in breach of one of its central requirements, namely, the need to have one refuge place for every 10,000 persons. Tusla claims that it is, in fact, in line with the convention but that seems a willful misinterpretation of what is required. The State currently has 21 women's shelters with 141 beds. This means that the State is 300 beds short of where it needs to be under the convention. Tusla states it will continue with its own measurements regarding the requirements of the convention despite not having any data require of it published since 2015. Does the Minister intend to work with the Minister, Deputy Zappone, to ensure that Ireland is in compliance with the Istanbul Convention by providing the required one refuge place for every 10,000 persons?

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