Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity)

I welcome those present in the Public Gallery for this debate. The Minister mentioned at the beginning of his remarks that he would speak to representatives of the GAA about the game changer campaign. Obviously, I welcome any move by sporting organisations because they have such access to children, to girls and boys. Nobody against whom credible accusations of domestic violence have been made should be managing any sports team. This applies to soccer as well; I am not targeting the GAA. When the Minister speaks to representatives of the GAA he needs to check the GAA's safeguarding policies, that they are robust and based on best up-to-date practice because that does not seem to be the case.

I will also mention the phrase "zero tolerance". It jars with me greatly because it is such an easy thing to declare and announce that a place has zero tolerance when we know that is not the case. There is huge tolerance of violence against women in our society, in this building and in so many workplaces, and so on. The culture of violence against women is rooted in inequality, patriarchy, and economic inequality, etc.

I have very little time so I will quickly mention two issues about our legal system. We put people through the most obscene legal misogyny. The first thing I will mention is the DPP because this is an issue that needs more attention. We all know of the case Nikita Hand bravely took against Conor McGregor and won in the civil courts. Nikita should not have had to take that case. The DPP should not have a veto over cases in this way. It is not the first time. I have been approached by loads of people who have been victims of rape and whose cases were not taken. It is extremely upsetting that, having gone to the trouble of reporting and getting a medical, the DPP then says "No". In the case of Nikita, it is just incredible that the case of somebody with that level of injuries was not taken. I salute her and so many others for standing up to very wealthy people and now facing deny, attack and reverse victim and offender, DARVO, tactics in the courts.

The Psychological Society of Ireland has come out in absolute opposition to the idea of counselling notes being used in any way. This has not received the publicity it deserves, but it has come out and said that as a society, as a professional organisation, it calls for "an immediate end to the practice of accessing therapy notes in legal cases involving rape and sexual assault..." and essentially backs my Bill. This has to be ruled out. It is something the Minister can do. We do not have juries for the Special Criminal Court because there was an emergency. There is an emergency of gender-based violence.

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