Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Ba mhaith liom aird an Aire a dhíriú ar fhoréigean baile agus inscne, agus ar an easpa gnímh go dtí seo ó thaobh na ngealltanas a thug an Rialtas dúinne maidir le tuarascálacha éagsúla. I dtús báire, aontaím go hiomlán leis an Teachta Alan Kelly maidir leis an méid atá ráite aige. Tá na pleananna atá foilsithe ag an Rialtas maidir leis na mbialanna seafóideach. Rud atá i bhfad níos tromchúisí ná go mbeidh siad deighilteach agus go gcothóidh siad scrios i measc an phobail. Tá sé i bhfad siar an bóthar anois ón teachtaireacht go bhfuilimid go léir le chéile.

I will zone in on the absence of action on domestic violence. I will use my time to agree with Deputy Kelly. The Government's plans are not only seafóideach, but they have serious implications by creating a division among our people, who have helped us to cope with Covid-19 and helped each Government as it learned from its mistakes. Proceeding down this divisive road is unacceptable.

The Government promised two reports on domestic violence. One was on the segmentation of services across Departments and was undertaken by two independent external consultants. It is sitting on a desk somewhere in the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth or the Department of Justice. There was also a basic report from Tusla examining emergency accommodation on the ground, but it has not been published. Where does it stand? According to the Council of Europe and depending on the measurement used, we are short between 45 and 350 refuges.

We have worked with this Government and the previous Government. I am sick and tired of making statements on domestic violence. I imagine my colleagues are as well. I believed we had moved on through the promise of two reports, but they have never appeared. The background to this has been the increase in the number of phone calls relating to the horrific rise in domestic violence and the cancellation of phone calls to the Garda's 999 line. The Garda failed to alert the Policing Authority to that until last December and then told the authority that it was only a technical breach. Nine months later, we are now awaiting the results of an internal audit of that.

When will the two reports be published? I do not want any waffle or to be told the background. I am more than familiar with the background. I have read all the reports. When will the two specific reports I mentioned be published and why have they been delayed?

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