Pauline Tully (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome that the issue will be the responsibility of one Minister. We know that what is needed to tackle domestic violence and violence against women is a multipronged approach. It is very welcome that one Minister will be able to choreograph all of that. It is scary. We are all aware of the recent death of Ashling Murphy. Almost every week, the newspapers report that a woman has been murdered or a case is being heard in court. Domestic violence is a scourge and a pandemic. The Garda report that it responded to almost 50,000 domestic incidents last year, which amounted to a 10% increase on the year before. That figure only relates to incidents that were reported. The need for refuges in Cavan and Monaghan and the other seven counties that do not have one could be addressed immediately to support women who need to get out of dangerous situations to save their lives and stay alive.

See this speech in context