James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I again thank the Deputy for raising this very important issue. I do not have specific numbers with regard to the expansion of spaces in 2022 or details on the situation in Dún Laoghaire but I will get answers for the Deputy from the Department in that regard. I will also bring the Deputy's concerns with regard to expanding the availability of refuge spaces beyond emergency situations to victims who need to attend court at various stages in the criminal justice process.

On behalf of the Minister, I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. It is a priority of the Minister for Justice to tackle domestic violence through the provision of victim-centred supports and services and ensuring that perpetrators are punished, along with the important prevention work to address the behaviour and attitudes that underlie these types of violence. Last month, the Minister hosted a Council of Europe ministerial conference to help ensure that this is a priority right across Europe as well as here in Ireland.

To deliver the types of excellent services, supports and accommodation that victims and survivors deserve and to set world-class standards in service provision, we are now in the process of establishing a statutory agency with a dedicated focus on domestic, sexual and gender-based violence under the aegis of the Department of Justice. The agency will have a specific mandate to drive the implementation of the new strategy across government, bringing the expertise and focus required to tackle this complex social issue. The new agency will work collaboratively with the NGO and domestic, sexual and gender-based violence services sector to ensure that the best possible services are in place to meet the needs of victims and survivors. It is our objective to establish the new agency on 1 January 2024. In the interim, a memorandum of understanding solidifying the working relationship between the Department of Justice, the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth and Tusla ensures services continue and expand and keeps me up to date on developments in the domestic, sexual and gender-based violence sector. The Minister knows there is much to do but, along with our Government colleagues, we are determined to do whatever is necessary.

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