Dáil debates

Wednesday, 8 July 2015

Other Questions

Domestic and Sexual Violence Support Services

10:30 am

Photo of Ruth CoppingerRuth Coppinger (Dublin West, Socialist Party)
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8. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs his views on the discontinuation of funding for Rape Crisis Network Ireland by Tusla, the Child and Family Agency; the measures that have been put in place to ensure the data collection role played by the centre is maintained under the proposed funding plans in view of the fact that 80% of survivors of sexual violence do not contact a State body; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27357/15]

Photo of Ruth CoppingerRuth Coppinger (Dublin West, Socialist Party)
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I want to ask about the cuts being implemented by Tusla to Rape Crisis Network Ireland. Measures have been put in place to cut its data collection role and its funding. Bearing in mind that 80% of victims of sexual violence and rape do not contact a State body, how does the Minister envisage that Tusla, a new organisation, will be able to fulfil the role the Rape Crisis Network of Ireland has had for 40 years?

Photo of James ReillyJames Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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Following a review, Tusla considers that there is scope for a more co-ordinated and equitable provision of sexual and domestic violence services across the country. It seeks to address any identified gaps in services, avoid duplication and support effective delivery. It is in this context that Tusla has decided to cease funding for Rape Crisis Network Ireland, RCNI, and to take direct responsibility for the development and maintenance of a database of information recorded on behalf of the rape crisis centres. Tusla will create a comprehensive national dataset, including information from all funded sexual violence services.

Tusla was concerned that the existing database did not capture information from all 16 rape crisis centres, as only 11 centres are affiliated to the network. In order to plan properly for the future, Tusla needs access to complete and reliable information, and it did not always have timely access to the data collected by RCNI. Consequently, Tusla decided to establish a comprehensive data system that best meets the current and future data needs of a developing service. I am very mindful of the importance of comprehensive and timely national data for planning the delivery of these services and evaluating outcomes. I have raised with Tusla the need for an improvement in the quality of data as a priority for 2015. I support Tusla’s efforts to address shortfalls in this area.

In 2015, Tusla is funding 60 non-statutory specialist domestic violence and sexual violence services, including 44 domestic violence services and 16 sexual violence and rape crisis services. These will provide information to Tusla on the services they provide, including those provided to survivors of sexual violence. 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 want to emphasise that in my discussions this year with Tusla 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.

Photo of Ruth CoppingerRuth Coppinger (Dublin West, Socialist Party)
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If the Minister did a straw poll outside these gates and asked people whether they trusted Rape Crisis Network Ireland or Tusla, the new quango established by the Government, to serve the interests of rape victims, we all know what the answer would be. Rape Crisis Network Ireland has been doing this work for 40 years. It has been an advocate and an independent voice for rape victims from a time when the State did not care about rape victims, when there were mother and baby homes and Magdalen laundries and control over women was in full swing in this country. Now Tusla has cut core funding for Rape Crisis Network Ireland, using the excuse that its data collection was not of the requisite standard. Its data collection is considered groundbreaking and a model of best practice by the European Institute for Gender Equality. The excuse is that funding will be maintained for the front line. If funds are cut, rape crisis centres will have to close. It is not for the Minister to decide about the autonomy and independence of an organisation that has been doing this work, and for him to tell it where to put its money and where to take it out. He has employed eight new people but he has cut the funding for Rape Crisis Network Ireland. Why is he doing so?

Photo of James ReillyJames Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy is quite right. I am not instructing anybody or interfering in with Rape Crisis Network Ireland regarding how it spends its money or what it does with itself. That is its business. What is the business of a Minister and an agency representing the needs of those who have been victims of sexual or domestic violence is to ensure they have a front-line service. In her question the Deputy asserted that front-line services would close. They will not close, because they have been given the funding to stay open. Their funding has been protected. Funding has been removed from an element of RCNI relating to data collection. This is clearly very much incomplete, when only 11 of 16 rape crisis centres are affiliated to it. Those I remember straight off which are not affiliated to it are the centres in Dublin and Galway, which are two of the biggest. The decision of Tusla's board is correct. One would love, in an ideal world, to have the money to do everything, but one does not, and therefore choices must be made. When it comes to a choice between a front-line service and a data collection service I will stay with the front-line service, particularly if I am assured by the board of Tusla and its management that it can do the data collection itself in a more complete and efficient fashion.

Photo of Joan CollinsJoan Collins (Dublin South Central, United Left)
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It cannot and it will not.

Photo of Ruth CoppingerRuth Coppinger (Dublin West, Socialist Party)
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A total of 80% of rape victims do not report their experience or seek counselling. That is four out of five rape victims. They will not go to Tusla, but they will contact rape crisis centres, at least on the phone. The information being gathered by Rape Crisis Network Ireland is very important. In Ireland, one in five girls will be sexually abused over their lifetimes, as well as one in six boys. One in ten women will be raped in their lifetimes. This is how the Minister is treating women in this country. Rape Crisis Network Ireland has much more experience of dealing with this than Tusla. Tusla is a child agency, by the way, and it is not equipped to deal with sexual violence. The Minister should just admit this is a cut. Tusla cannot do what Rape Crisis Network Ireland has done. The Minister is interfering by telling it to manage with less and keep its front-line services open. Front-line services need back-up and independent information. Of course rape crisis centres will close. When refuges for victims of domestic violence closed last year, the Minister did not care and councils had to step in. The Minister said he expects centres to remain open even though their funding has been cut, but he has employed people in a new quango. First we had the HSE and now we have a sub-quango of the HSE being used to cut funding to rape crisis centres and women.

Photo of James ReillyJames Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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Again, the Deputy fails to acknowledge that no funding to the rape crisis centres has been cut. Their funding has been protected. Front-line services are being protected. The cut in funding relates to data collected by Rape Crisis Network Ireland, which does not provide front-line services.

Photo of Ruth CoppingerRuth Coppinger (Dublin West, Socialist Party)
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Do we not need the data?

Photo of James ReillyJames Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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That data can now be collected by Tusla in a more complete and efficient fashion. I do not agree with the Deputy's contention that people will not contact the rape crisis centre. I believe they will. If they contact anybody they will contact the rape crisis centre.

Photo of Ruth CoppingerRuth Coppinger (Dublin West, Socialist Party)
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They will not contact Tusla.

Photo of James ReillyJames Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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Excuse me. I did not interrupt the Deputy. These are the people who are the professionals, who are proficient and have given a commitment. They have been there morning, noon and night to help support the survivors of sexual violence and domestic violence.

My role is to ensure that those who provide the services are supported and have their funding protected. I have done that.