Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I express my condolences to Ashling Murphy's family on what happened. In recent weeks all of us have received phone calls and emails in our offices from members of the public wanting to know where we stand on the issue of zero tolerance of domestic violence and gender-based violence and how we can do more to ensure we stamp it out forever. Many the issues we speak about particularly are with regard to sentencing. The guidelines relating to gender-based violence are a serious problem that many people in the general public have identified as an issue we can do something about. I implore the Minister to ensure adequate sentence guidelines are in place along with training for the Judiciary and members of the Garda Síochána who deal with this on an ongoing basis.

An issue that comes up all the time is overcrowding in our prisons, which leads to many violent offenders often being left out on bail. It is widespread in all sectors of criminality but it is certainly a problem when it comes to violent offenders of this nature. We want to see the Government move to a zero-tolerance approach. We do not want it just to be a discussion. We need to see it happen. We all want to work together to ensure it happens. At present we have a situation whereby a judge has to impose that a sex offender will not work with children or vulnerable people and it is not automatically part of a sex offender's order. We need to ensure it is made an automatic part of it.

This weekend the Irish Examinerhad an interesting article. We all know the courage and evidence required for a judge to issue a domestic violence order. We found out that a number of gardaí have these orders in place. This is quite alarming. There is no restriction on the duties of these serving members of the Garda. They can often be called out to scenes of domestic violence. This is something on which we need to reflect. I encourage the Minister to speak to the Commissioner in this respect. It is something that has alarmed people. Gardaí are the guardians of the peace and to have no restriction on duty in this regard is quite alarming.

The Minister is aware of the reports this weekend of an incident in Sligo in my constituency of two very young women, in fact they are children, who were sexually attacked. I do not want to get into the case but many of us are thinking about it. If the DPP and Garda do a good job and there is a prosecution, we wonder what will happen when it goes to court. In many of these cases we see situations where it is the victim who is put on trial rather than the perpetrator. There are issues with questions such as what a victim was wearing and how she ended up in the situation. All of this needs to be dealt with adequately.

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