Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)

I begin by recognising the survivors of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence present in the House today and the many who will watch this debate over the course of the afternoon. I know many TDs have spoken eloquently on this issue today but we know that words must be followed by action.

I draw the attention of the House and the Minister to one particular action, the Domestic Violence (Amendment) Bill 2024. My colleague, Senator Malcolm Noonan, along with the Social Democrats and the Labour Party, has reintroduced this Bill into Seanad Éireann. It was introduced during the previous Seanad by the former Green Party Senator, Vincent P. Martin, and it has now been reintroduced, and completed Committee Stage in the Seanad last week. We in the Green Party, the Labour Party and the Social Democrats intend to advance the Bill through that House and hopefully through this House as well. The Bill proposes simple but necessary changes to provide that breaches of court-ordered safety, protection or barring orders should no longer be treated solely as summary offences. As it stands, someone who violates one of these orders often faces a maximum of 12 months in prison. The Bill would introduce an indictable offence for serious breaches, enabling such cases to be tried on indictment and punished by up to five years' imprisonment. It is not about criminalising people unnecessarily but it is about ensuring those who deliberately and repeatedly violate court orders, who often show patterns of coercive control, face meaningful consequences. Importantly, this change will allow courts to refuse bail in serious cases, strengthening protections for survivors who are at immediate risk. We also have to recognise that children present during these types of breaches of protection and barring orders suffer deep trauma and this Bill could give them a greater degree of protection.

This is not symbolic legislation. It is survivor-informed, evidence-based and based on years of calls from NGOs working in the domestic, sexual and gender-based violence sector. I believe, as I know the two other parties involved believe, this is important legislation. It has passed Second and Committee Stages in Seanad Éireann and we hope to see it progress through Seanad Éireann and introduced in this House. I understand the Minister of State speaking to the Bill in the Seanad was broadly supportive of it. I hope, if we are able to introduce the Bill to this House, the Minister will likewise be supportive of what I think could be an important and meaningful step in offering protection to victims of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence.

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