Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to this very important debate. We are having it largely because of the courage of two women, namely, Natasha O'Brien, who was brutally assaulted by someone who wore an Army uniform and who had a sentence handed down that was inexcusable, and Bláthnaid Raleigh, a woman who had to wait five years to obtain justice while her rapist was free to live a normal life.

I reached out to the Minister earlier to tell her I met Bláthnaid Raleigh yesterday. She knows I am speaking about her today and she welcomes the fact that I am using my position to articulate, on her behalf, what happened to her and how the system could be improved. If anything positive can come out of what has happened, it will involve our having listened to the victims, having taken on board what they are saying and having implemented recommendations. It is very easy to react to something that happened last week and have a debate this week in the Dáil but the proof of the pudding will be in the implementation thereafter. Ms Raleigh said the Garda detective and the DPP solicitor who dealt with her were excellent but that on three different occasions, her trial date was changed because something else had come up or because there were not enough judges. That is not good enough. She was told it was the DPP's trial and that she was a witness. She did not feel she was a witness; to her, it was very much her trial. She was the person going through the sleepless nights and turmoil. Two and half years ago, the perpetrator was charged, and it took two and half years for that person to be sentenced. Even though the person was convicted on 17 April, the process took a further eight weeks People might say eight weeks is not a long time, but in the context of all that has happened, there is no justification for this.

Ms Raleigh said the court process was extremely traumatising – ten times worse than she ever thought it would be. Her rapist's defence had access to her GP and counselling records. This runs the risk of people feeling they cannot be honest at counselling or of their not benefiting from it. The defence can object to the composition of the jury if it is weighted too much in favour of women. I was not aware of that.

She said that she raised queries many times only to be told that that was just the system. When she heard things like that, she felt no one cared. She said that the victim paid the price time and again.

The Minister is a good person who wants to make a difference in her role. I ask her and her officials to meet Bláthnaid – she is willing to do so – to hear what changes can be implemented so as to ensure that courageous women like her, who come forward do not end up feeling ten times worse than they believed they would.

I have outlined two cases. When we discuss domestic abuse, it forces the House and wider society to scrutinise the issue. Unfortunately, violence in many forms is being perpetrated against women on a large scale.

I wish to refer to the Esker House domestic abuse refuge centre in Athlone, which the Minister visited. The people there welcomed her visit and felt that she listened and was supportive of them. Esker House is in negotiations for new premises. I hope that, when the negotiations are concluded and Esker House submits its application, that application will be fast-tracked and approved. The people at Esker House said that, even if the refuge increased its capacity, it would not be enough. They are worried about having the necessary resources. In 2023, they assisted 68 women and children with refuge and emergency bed and breakfast accommodation, 1,014 helpline calls were answered and 268 requests for refuge were received. Even with the additional capacity, Esker House will not have enough.

We must get away from the arms of the State acting in silos. When Esker House rings Westmeath County Council about a person who needs housing, that person is not a priority on the housing list and is left languishing in a refuge centre. We need a cross-governmental response to what is, unfortunately, a major issue in our society. As the father of a young daughter, I dread to think what challenges are out there. We in the honoured position we hold in this House should ensure that everything is done to minimise the risks in society.

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