Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I agree we must protect those women. Regarding Deputy Stanton's request that the Minister meet with all the local Deputies to discuss the concerns, I do not think that would breach any powers. It is about ensuring there is an informed opinion on the matter. I believe in the good work the Deputy and the previous Government did in regard to the understanding and knowledge of coercive control. The more information we have, the better. When it comes to removing services, I speak for myself, not for the Minister, in saying we need to have the conversation and we need to have that understanding. People are being empowered to know their rights and we must support them in an environment which they know they can have access at any time. We should not be diluting that access. I will ask the Minister for assurance in this regard.

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