Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

One issue that has come to my attention in recent times - and at all times - is in relation to family law disputes where the mother of the children may be forced to pursue the partner in court in order to get a validated payment, which is a very dangerous thing to do if there is violence. This happens in many cases and puts huge hardship on the mother of the children and creates terrible fear in those cases. It places the mother at a disadvantage to such an extent she sometimes does not want to pursue the case at all. Some officers consider these things and take a liberal view but others do not. Is it possible to generalise it and make it possible to have a procedure where there is no threat to the mother of the children in those cases?

See this speech in context