Mairéad Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I appreciate the Minister is taking this seriously. I can hear that from the background he has and from what he has said here today. I appreciate and welcome this.

We must ensure we have an absolute zero-tolerance approach. My concern, however, is that despite having Zero Tolerance: Third National Strategy on Domestic, Sexual and Gender Based Violence 2022-26, we are nearing the end of that period and are seeing the number of cases rise. I commend Ella and others who have come forward and shared their experiences because, as we know, we only hear of certain experiences; we do not hear of all of them. I ask the Minister to make this an absolute priority in his time in the role. I can see and hear he is taking this seriously and I welcome that.

We undoubtedly have an epidemic when it comes to violence, abuse and harassment of women and we need to deal with and take this seriously. We need a holistic approach to this. When we talk about education, this needs to be for everyone. What was clear from this story was that the supports were not there and Ella did not feel she had support from the university or the accommodation provider. It is clear we need to look at how this is dealt with at every single level. Of course, we need to do everything in our power to ensure women are safe on campuses. It is not just about feeling safe; it is about being safe and ensuring we are all safe.

I appreciate the Minister's remarks. It is something an Teachta McGettigan and I will continue to raise and work on. Let us hope we can get a good resolution out of it.

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