Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Deputy Murnane O'Connor has raised very valid points and that is why it is so important that the aforementioned audit takes place. It will be concluded by March of next year and will take into account the fact that there are also housing and social welfare support issues involved here. Work is being done by Tusla at the moment to review the current bed capacity in order to ensure that we have enough places. I am very conscious that a number of counties do not have their own refuge but Carlow and Kilkenny tend to work together in this space.

The figures I mentioned earlier are quite significant, with An Garda Síochána contacting or attempting to contact 20,699 victims of domestic abuse, which highlights just how many people are in very difficult and challenging situations. The number of cases has increased, as has the number of people coming forward for the first time. The types of violence that we are seeing, particularly against women but also against men, have also increased. This is a massive problem and is not just something that has arisen because of Covid-19. It has always been there but Covid-19 has shone a light on it and I have prioritised this issue as Minister for Justice.

It should be acknowledged that a huge amount of work was done in partnership with Beat 102-103 on awareness raising. We know that when we raise awareness, people do come forward and report. In particular, Ms Michelle Heffernan has been nominated for the Mary Raftery Prize for her work, for which I thank her.

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