Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. When I was concluding the debate last week, I asked all Deputies to make sure we keep this on the agenda, so I welcome the fact today’s motion has been put down and that we have a debate on this issue directly after Topical Issues this morning. It means that we are all prioritising it and keeping that focus on it.

The Deputy is right that it is not just women who are impacted. We need to make sure, when we roll out refuge accommodation, supports and services, that while it is predominantly women and children who are impacted, it is also men. The Deputy will see that in the work done on the roll-out of refuges, there is a particular emphasis on safe houses and organisations are already using these spaces for men who are fleeing difficult and dangerous situations.

A central element of delivering on the zero-tolerance goal of the third national strategy was the establishment of the domestic, sexual and gender-based violence agency, Cuan, and I was very pleased that was up and running at the beginning of this year. There are a number of elements to its overall objectives but it has a specific mandate to drive the implementation of the strategy across Government, bringing the expertise and focus that is required to tackle what is such a complex issue across our society. Its budget has increased to €59 million, which is an increase of approximately €30 million in recent years. It works in collaboration with NGOs and services across the sector to make sure the best possible supports and services are in place to meet the needs of victims and survivors, which, of course, includes safe accommodation that is accessible, no matter where people are in a county. One of the main goals and remits of the agency is to ensure that people have access to safe and accessible accommodation.

One of the key actions in the third national strategy is to double the number of refuge spaces in the lifetime of the strategy, which runs to the end of 2026, and, beyond that, we want to go even further. Cuan has been working closely with the Department of Justice on the development of the 2024 implementation plan, which was published in April. There are 144 actions overall in the strategy for this year but it also sets out very clear deliverables for safe home and refuge accommodation. Planning and engagement are under way for the delivery of 150 additional family refuge units within the lifetime of the strategy. This includes 18 projects that are already under way, including projects in Laois, Offaly and the other counties mentioned. Some projects are at different stages. The delivery of eight new family units in Wexford will be complete by the end of this summer, 25 additional refuge units across two different projects will be under construction by the end of the year and we hope a further two projects will be in construction by the beginning of next year. The remainder of those projects are at different stages, with some at site acquisition or building acquisition, others that are progressing towards planning and others within the 18 projects that I mentioned where we are trying to identify a service provider.

The Deputy is right that it is not just about bricks and mortar. It is very important to try to get this point across to people. From the moment I started to engage with those who deliver the service and those who want to see more accommodation rolled out, the focus has been on getting it right. It is about making sure that when we identify a site or a building, it is not just to deliver the beds in the space, although that is very important. It is about the team that is delivering the service, making sure they have the capacity and capability and putting the right structures in place. It is also about the ancillary supports, for example, where children are involved or therapies are needed, and then looking at that follow-on regarding where people - women, children and men - go after they leave a safe house. All of that work is under way at present.

That is what is being done. Last year and into the beginning of this year, my Department, working with the Departments of housing, finance and children, has been looking at how we can put that blueprint in place to make sure we get this right. If a county is developing a refuge, it is not just the buildings or the bricks and mortar, but all of the services around that. That work is under way in the 18 different projects, including in Laois and Offaly. It will enable us to double the number of refuge spaces by the end of this strategy. I know we need to do more and go beyond that, and that is absolutely the objective here.

See this speech in context