Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the fact that two years ago, in June 2022, the Government published its strategy, Zero Tolerance. The House will be aware that the central aim of that strategy was the adoption, as a society and a State, of a zero-tolerance attitude to domestic, sexual and gender-based violence. What was beneficial about the strategy that was launched was that it was accompanied by an implementation plan. As the Minister has indicated, one of the central requirements of the implementation plan was that we would increase the number of refuge spaces available. I welcome the openings the Minister has identified. It is important that we continue to ensure there are sufficient refuge spaces throughout the country for victims of this type of violence, who are predominantly female. What we stated in 2022 was that we wanted to double the number from 141 spaces to 282 spaces. Have we achieved or exceeded that? Will the Minister give me an update on that?

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