Ruairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Women's Aid annual report was published and makes for very stark reading. We are talking about nearly 34,000 disclosures of domestic violence. We know this is right across Irish society, including public bodies. We need to know what plans are in place to ensure we can provide the rights and protections these women deserve.

To these figures I will add a number of figures which Women's Aid Dundalk has provided, taken between January and October 2022. There were 1,489 calls to the helpline and 310 requests for refuge accommodation, 293 of which were not able to be accommodated. This is because women have to stay in Women's Aid accommodation for longer. We all know the issues that exist. There were 156 online contacts, while 190 women attended the Women's Aid clinics in Dundalk and 907 individual women contacted Women's Aid Dundalk looking for support, 766 for the very first time. Women's Aid Dundalk has stated it is almost full constantly. We all know the issues at hand. What does the Government intend to do to deliver what is necessary, which is everything from accommodation to work conditions?

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