Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

We need to be clear. The previous Minister for Justice committed to ensuring that there would be at least one refuge in every county. In January, Cuan confirmed to me what the Minister has repeated here, namely that rather than delivering one refuge in both Cavan and Monaghan, the plan has changed to one centre between the two counties. That is not good enough, particularly when we consider the circumstances that would lead somebody needing to enter a domestic violence refuge. If a person lives in Carrickmacross and the centre is in Belturbet, the distance between the two is 67 km. That is further than the distance from this House to Navan. That is not acceptable, particularly in view of the disruption that is arises in the context of school life. The two counties we are talking about have virtually no interconnectivity in terms of public transport. This must be taken into consideration in light of, as I say, the emergency situations in which people may find themselves. Will the Minister revert to the commitment given by his predecessor not to deliver a centre for between Cavan and Monaghan, which is taking far too long, but, rather, to deliver one for Cavan and one for Monaghan? The latter is the minimum that is required.

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