Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

At the outset, I wish the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, the very best as he announced he is stepping down as leader of the Green Party. He has always been sincere and helpful. He can be proud of his contribution to Irish public life.

Domestic violence is a problem which is endemic, systemic and growing. Women's Aid recorded more than 40,000 disclosures of abuse last year. These figures are truly shocking. That is a 20% increase on the previous year. I acknowledge that the Minister, Deputy McEntee, is working on this issue and that tackling it is not easy. What goes on behind closed doors is difficult to police. That is why it is so important that women feel safe in coming forward. It is why we have to ensure that women feel they have options other than remaining in an abusive relationship. Too many women do not feel that way. We know we have a chronic shortage of women's refuge spaces. There has been almost no progress on that. We have just one third of the recommended number of refuge spaces. There are nine counties which do not have any spaces at all. Where is the urgency? What new measures will the Government introduce to tackle this issue? What progress can we expect to see this year?

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