Réada Cronin (Kildare North, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The same cannot be said for the likes of Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael, but particularly Fianna Fáil. With just seven women elected out of 48 Fianna Fáil TDs, it is the worst party when it comes to gender balance. What must it be to be a woman in Fianna Fáil and manage to get elected? I do not know but I imagine they would be as good as any of their male counterparts. I have noticed that only the member of the Cabinet spoke here today. All the other Fianna Fáil women left, and I hope they left in protest.

It is important that there are more women in politics.

Mary Lou McDonald referenced the 8.3% rise in domestic abuse calls received by An Garda Síochána last year. In Kildare, we saw a staggering 25% increase in those calls, up 661 to 3,279 in 2024. Reporting of domestic violence is something I always insisted was on the agenda of the JPCs at our meetings in Kildare County Council, but since the local elections last year, JPCs have not been in operation. Dublin City Council, it is worth mentioning, is still holding its JPCs, to its credit. In Kildare, however, we are still waiting on the establishment of the local community safety partnerships that are set to replace the JPCs. As one of the three James' who equal the number of women in Cabinet, I urge the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, to reconvene the joint policing committees while we are waiting for the Government to establish local community safety partnerships in order that we have a bit of accountability on the domestic violence that goes on in my county.

We all have to do our bit for mná na hÉireann. Is ar scáth a chéile a mhairimid.

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