Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein)
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According to Rape Crisis Network Ireland, it is the only independent body for rape survivors in Ireland. It is the only voice for Irish women who have been raped. The organisation is the national representative body for 11 of the country's 16 rape crisis centres. It provides them with oversight services and governance, training, research and legal support, in addition to running educational campaigns and lobbying on the centres' behalf. The organisation receives approximately €250,000 per year from Tusla, which is 70% of its overall funding. That 70% is now gone. The people who depend on the network will still require its services and they will be the ones to suffer, having already survived an ordeal. The cut is fundamentally anti-women. It gives the message clearly that services for victims of sexual violence, particularly women, are less important than other services and consequently open to cuts. This latest move, which would strip Rape Crisis Network Ireland of all its funding, will be utterly devastating. It will bring to an end the severely damaged vital services that the network provides.

The Labour Party committed to tackling and eradicating domestic violence and to protecting front-line services in its 2011 election manifesto. How is cutting the funding for the network going to protect the service? The Rape Crisis Centre’s most recent published figures show a substantial increase in the number of people seeking its assistance. Recent years have put even more stress on the services than the centre could cope with. Instead of increasing funding to groups such as Rape Crisis Network Ireland, Women's Aid and refuges across the country, we are now faced with a total cut to the network's funding.

Before the decision to make the cut, there were other cuts of up to 30%, which made the job of the network even harder and put more people at risk. The latest cut is a step way beyond that and it is completely and utterly unacceptable. One cannot put a price on the people the network helps. One cannot say one can help so many people and that is that. The network and other such services must be funded to the extent that they are needed in society.

Dr. Clíona Saidléar, the acting director of Rape Crisis Network Ireland, said four out of five survivors of sexual violence are voting with their feet and are not engaging with the justice system or gaining access to one-to-one counselling.

Therefore, for the Government to say it is sufficient to fund direct face-to-face services for 20% of survivors as well as work to improve legislation and the justice process is not credible. This is not justice. The RCNI was already underfunded and is unable to meet the demand for its services. Far too many survivors never come forward. They do not seek help but suffer in silence. When they do seek help, it can be a battle to be heard, to be respected or to get the care they need. Cutting this funding sends the message to the women who stay silent that they were right to do so because the State - their State - does not care. I know this is not true. I know that this Government is not made up of bad people. However, with this decision, it has divorced itself from the real consequences and they are not acceptable.

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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I thank Deputy Ellis for rising this issue and I understand that he is referring to Rape Crisis Network Ireland, RCNI. I welcome the opportunity to clarify the position with regard to the funding of this organisation.

With effect from its establishment on 1 January 2014, Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, has taken on statutory responsibility for the care and protection of victims of domestic, sexual or gender-based violence in the home or otherwise. Funding of approximately €17 million transferred to Tusla from the HSE on 1 January 2014 in respect of these services. Additional funding of €2.541 million subsequently transferred to Tusla from the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government in respect of domestic violence refuges and services. Tusla funds 60 specialist domestic violence and sexual violence services, mainly through service arrangements with non-governmental organisations. This year, it will spend more than €19 million in supporting 44 domestic violence services and 16 sexual violence-rape crisis services. Tusla has a total revenue budget of €643 million in 2015, including €631 million in current funding and €12 million in capital. This represents an increase of €34 million or 5.6% on funding provided to Tusla in budget 2014.

This funding increase demonstrates that despite the budgetary constraints, the Government remains strongly committed to delivering the critically important resources and reforms needed to support Ireland's children and families. This additional funding is helping to drive key priorities in the reform of services and is assisting the agency to deliver on its mandate from Government.

Sexual violence services are being developed by Tusla as a national specialist service to enable better outcomes for both children and adults who are survivors of sexual violence. In this regard, Tusla has appointed a national manager to ensure a single line of accountability for all resources in this important area. In addition, Tusla is currently in the process of recruiting eight additional staff to ensure domestic, sexual and gender-based violence services are further developed. Tusla has undertaken a comprehensive review of sexual violence and domestic violence services. The purpose was to identify strategic priorities and set out a roadmap for the delivery of these services.

Tusla considers that there is scope for a more co-ordinated and equitable provision of these services throughout the country. In reviewing the make-up of current services, it is seeking to address any identified gaps in services to avoid duplication and to support effective delivery of front-line services nationally. It is in this context that Tusla has taken the decision to cease funding the RCNI and to take on direct responsibility for what is the development and maintenance of a database of information recorded on behalf of the rape crisis centres.

First, Tusla had a number of concerns with regard to the service provided. Tusla was concerned that this database did not capture information from all 16 rape crisis centres as only 11 centres are affiliated to the network. In addition, Tusla did not always have timely access to the data collected, which I am sure the House would agree is essential to support the planning and delivery of high-quality services across both the domestic violence and sexual violence services sector. To plan properly for the future, Tusla needs access to complete and reliable information. Consequently, Tusla has taken the decision to put in place a comprehensive data system that best meets the current and future data needs of a developing service. I am mindful of data deficiencies across the system and I have raised the issue of how this should be improved with the board and executive of Tusla as a priority for 2015. I support Tusla's efforts to address shortfalls in this area. As part of revised governance arrangements, funded sexual violence services will provide information directly to Tusla, creating for the first time a comprehensive national dataset on all such services funded by the agency. This information is critically important as Tusla continues to reform services to ensure we provide the best possible response to survivors of sexual violence.

I emphasise that in my discussions this year with Tusla regarding service delivery, I asked that particular priority be given to protecting front-line services. In this context, I am pleased that funding for the 16 rape crisis centres nationwide which provide services directly to rape survivors has been protected in 2015, with funding of almost €4 million allocated to them. The RCNI does not provide services directly to survivors of sexual violence. The RCNI continues to be in receipt of funding from other statutory providers such as Cosc, the National Office for the Prevention of Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence, and the Commission for Support of Victims of Crime.

I assure the House that the Government and Tusla are strongly committed to providing effective responses to victims of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence. The agency takes a broad view of its responsibilities in this regard, recognising that these issues are complex and require a whole of Government response. At all times, the first and key priority is to ensure that the needs of victims of sexual violence are being met in the best way possible.

Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein)
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It is not the first time I have seen Tusla causing great problems, identifying areas, putting funding in different areas and taking it from other areas. There is an issue concerning St Helena's Family Resource Centre and Tusla. The RCNI is very clear that it is losing €250,000. If Tusla is going to recruit eight additional staff, I suggest it puts the money into the front-line services. That is where it should go. This is a front-line service that delivers a massive amount of advice to people. It deals with one in five women in our society. Literally thousands of children associated with the women in our society are witnesses to violence and are affected in some way.

Since 1996, 207 women have been murdered, with 54% of them being murdered by their partners or ex-partners. Staff from the RCNI have visited people's homes, given them advice over the phone and dealt with them on a one-to-one, face-to-face basis. We have seen the effects of this. I have seen the effects in my clinics many times. People have come in as a result of domestic violence, some of whom are in a terrible state. Apart from being beaten, they are emotionally distraught, with children by their sides, and I have witnessed this on a number of occasions. The extent is probably far greater than what is being reported. Many women will not go to the Garda.

I commend the work of Women's Aid, the RCNI and other groups that are tackling this issue. The number of people who have benefited from these services is massive and we cannot underestimate it.

The Minister should not accept the word of Tusla with regard to how it is dealing with funding because I have seen this issue arise in other areas. I am very worried about the approach Tusla has adopted to many projects.

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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I reassure the House that all 16 rape crisis centres across the country have suffered no reduction in funding. Rape and violence against women is repugnant to all right-minded people. This Government is committed to supporting victims of such heinous crimes and to supporting the rape crisis centres. Tusla is committed to ensuring that we have accurate and complete data so that we can plan ahead and fill any gaps in services across the country. I remind Deputy Ellis that the Government also funds organisations which provide services to the victims of domestic violence, both women and children, to the tune of €17 million per year.

I commend the work of the rape crisis centres, their volunteers and all those who support victims of domestic violence. I commit that this Government will continue to support these services and will seek to expand them where gaps have been found to exist and where services are difficult for victims to access.