Réada Cronin (Kildare North, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Today is the longest day of the year but every day must feel like the longest day of the year for women and their children enduring domestic violence. Men are victims too and often have a great reticence about coming forward because of the stigma around that but the fact remains it is mainly women who are the victims of domestic violence. There is the thump because he was in trouble at work, the dig because she spoke to her mam or sister or the slap or pull simply because he can and the children hiding behind the sofa, under the table or in the wardrobe wondering if it is their fault that Daddy is so cross with Mammy. Maybe they could have behaved a bit better. Their poor mother is thinking at the same time, "Well, at least when he's walloping me, he's leaving them alone".

Teach Tearmainn is a refuge in my country of Kildare and it gives a first-class service to women at the receiving end of violence in the home. However, it needs more space, investment and staff. It has four apartments and they are gorgeous. I was at their opening but four is not enough. Three of the counties surrounding Kildare, namely, Laois, Offaly and Carlow, have no refuges. As well as taking an overflow of women fleeing from Dublin, Teach Tearmainn is also taking women and their families from these counties. Transitional housing is needed and with the housing situation being so bad, it affects refuges across the State. Women and their children have nowhere to go and some have sadly decided to return to an abusive partner because at least then their children have a home.

I listened to the Minister on the way over with the help of the app, and she mentioned the Supporting a Victim's Journey plan. It needs to look at transitional housing as well because, with the disaster that is our housing system, there is a shortage of houses to rent. It is inexplicable that a Government that says it is committed to protecting women and children has no dedicated capital expenditure budget line in any Department for domestic violence safe accommodation provision. It is extraordinary that the Minister for housing has decided the primary responsibility rests with Tusla. That does not make sense, though, to be fair to Tulsa, it has advised that at least 60 new family units are urgently needed.

The Department of Justice has stated that the State is meeting its obligations under the Istanbul Convention to provide adequate accommodation with wrap-around services, such as psychological care and childcare. I hope the Minister will agree with me that there is something of a Disney quality to that statement and a sense that if we say it, maybe it will happen. We know to our cost in housing and health that this is not the way it goes. Women and their children should not have to put up with this. I acknowledge that the Minister has been positive in respect of this issue and has demonstrated and expressed that she wants to improve these things. I welcome that.

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