Cian O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I commend Ms Bláthnaid Raleigh, the Women of Honour and the women in the FAI for speaking out, which they should not have felt the need to do. I commend, in particular, Ms Natasha O'Brien for challenging homophobic abuse. I and many others like me enjoy a degree of freedom in our public spaces because people like Ms O'Brien defend us. It is a diminishing degree of freedom in our public spaces that has come under attack in recent years. Sadly, the degree of freedom is decreasing rather than increasing.

Many of the issues we have raised in our motion were not fully addressed by the Minister of State or the Minister. They were only partially addressed, and elements of the responses were disappointing. We raised the lack of action in respect of sex for rent ,but there has been no response on that issue. We specifically asked if the Government will act now to ensure that taxi drivers who are charged with serious sexual offences are not allowed to drive. We did not get a full response on that issue. We were told in respect of the regulation of counselling psychotherapy services that work is continuing, that time is required to get it right and many aspects need to be considered. This issue has been outstanding for years. People in vulnerable situations are left in a completely unregulated sector and despite being aware of that for years, the Government is telling us it needs more time to consider the matter to get it right. That is not a satisfactory response. We have also been told that a review of the Dentists Act is planned and will be done but this situation has been highlighted for quite some time without action being taken.

The justification for the plan to continue to provide too few spaces in refuges is unacceptable. We were told it is not just about bricks and mortar but there also need to be wraparound services. Of course there need to be wraparound services. That is not sufficient excuse to continue with the under-provision as this Government in planning to do.

I thank everyone who contributed to the debate. It has been said that the Women's Aid annual report detailed 40,048 disclosures of domestic abuse against women and children in 2023. That is an 18% increase in disclosures and the total number is the highest in the organisation's 50-year history, yet there are still nine counties without any refuge for women who are fleeing domestic abuse and violence. In the areas where there is a refuge, getting access can be extremely difficult because many of them are full. That means that women are repeatedly forced into either staying in a situation where they are in fear for their lives or going into homelessness. That is the current situation, and yet the Government is only planning to partially rectify it. It is not that the State does not have money. We know from the summer economic statement made yesterday that there are billions at the disposal of this Government but a choice has been made to only put some resources into this issue and not the kind of resources that are needed. As a result, there are women and children in very unsafe situations that they do not want to be in but which they cannot get out of. They are afraid that if they cannot get a space in a refuge, they will end up in homelessness. That is not an acceptable situation. If there was genuine commitment on this issue, the Government would put in place the resources needed for enough refuge spaces so that no woman facing violence in her home would be left in the awful situation of not having somewhere safe to go. That would be done now if the Government was genuinely serious about the issue.

More than two years ago, I introduced my Bill on making sex for rent practices a criminal offence. The Government did not progress that legislation but promised to bring forward its own legislation. More than two years later, we are left in a situation whereby there is still no timeline for that and no action from the Government. There has been terrible exploitation of renters in that area and yet there has been no meaningful action from the Government. The intent of our motion is that we want the words to be matched by actions.

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