Cormac Devlin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I extend my sympathy to the family, friends and colleagues of the late Detective Garda Colm Horkan. His death was a reminder to all of us of the stark risks members of the Garda face day in, day out.

Covid-19 has highlighted the shortcomings and failures of the supports for victims of domestic violence. Restrictions on movement, as my colleagues have just said, have magnified the crisis. The Garda has reported an increase in domestic violence cases of 30%. Women's Aid has also reported an increase in calls to its centres. The number of refuge spaces in Ireland is well below what we are obliged to provide under the Istanbul Convention. That convention obliges Ireland to provide spaces for victims in line with its population. Tusla has incorrectly claimed there is a need for one refuge space for every 10,000 adult women. However, the obligation is for one space for every 10,000 adults. Based on this, Ireland should have 472 spaces available, yet it has only 141.

In 2018, Safe Ireland reported victims of domestic violence were turned away on 3,256 occasions. That is nine requests per day unanswered. Thousands of women and children were turned away from the centres and their services because of a lack of funding. These services were at breaking point. Over the past 11 years in Dún Laoghaire, my constituency, I have sought to have a centre for women victims of domestic violence. Sadly, that service has not yet materialised and women are forced to go to either Bray or Tallaght, where services are available. When questioned, local authorities point at Tusla, yet only last week the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government blamed local authorities. This pass-the-parcel approach must end. It is unacceptable.

Budget 2020 failed to provide additional funding for the victims of domestic violence. Spaces are limited, particularly during this pandemic. It is clear the Government has failed victims of domestic violence. The next Government must provide more funding for them and afford them access to emergency accommodation when needed.

I welcome the commitment in the draft programme for Government, especially regarding the immediate review of the accommodation provision. According to Tusla, there are 60 service providers in the sector, yet the service level varies from area to area. Access to support for victims of domestic violence should not be based on a postcode lottery.

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