Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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11. To ask the Taoiseach if he will report on the work of the public service, justice and police reform division of his Department. [5958/22]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The public service, justice and policing reform unit is part of the social policy and public service reform division of my Department. The work of the unit supports me, in my role as Taoiseach, with regard to criminal justice, policing, community safety and related matters. The unit incorporates the policing reform implementation programme office, which oversees the implementation of A Policing Service for our Future, the Government's plan to implement the report of the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland and supports the Civil Service management board, including in its work on the Civil Service renewal programme, and contributes to the oversight and governance of the new public services reform plan.

The unit also assists the work of the Cabinet committee on social affairs and equality and the associated senior officials' group established to oversee implementation of programme for Government commitments in the areas of social policy, equality and public services. Policy areas covered include gender equality, which encompasses efforts to address domestic, sexual and gender-based violence, and matters relating to arts and culture, children, justice, policing reform and community safety, disability, social inclusion, direct provision, the Irish language and sport. In addition, the section has departmental oversight of the National Economic and Social Council, participates in relevant interdepartmental committees and other groups and provides me with briefing and speech material on criminal justice and policing matters, as well as social policy and public service reform issues.

Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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I understand that the long-awaited Tusla review on refuge provision is due to come before Cabinet next week. This is welcome. Action on the lack of refuge spaces and capacity across the State has been delayed on the basis that this work had not been completed. County Roscommon is one of nine counties across the State to have no refuge spaces for women or children. Together, Roscommon, Galway and Mayo have a population of more than 228,000 women. According to Safe Ireland, based on the Istanbul Convention, those three counties should have 46 refuge spaces. There are 14. We know there is a shortage of childcare workers, psychologists and other wraparound care providers and that many existing services are heavily reliant on fundraising. Where State funding is available, it is not provided on a multi-annual basis. There is no dedicated funding strategy to address how we are to reach the levels outlined in the Istanbul Convention. With regard to what is to come before Cabinet next week, will the Taoiseach confirm that the existing gaps in respect of refuge spaces will be addressed in what the Government will propose on the back of that review?

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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This morning, I attended a protest in front of the Central Criminal Court in solidarity with two climate change protestors, Orla and Zac, who are facing trial for their participation in a protest last year. In two weeks' time, a ROSA activist, Aislinn O'Keeffe, faces trial accused of organising a small protest in Limerick against gender-based violence. We have also seen more and more use of the law against striking workers, for example, the Debenhams workers last year. Does the Taoiseach agree that the right to protest is a fundamental human right and that protest should not be criminalised? Zac and Orla face the threat of imprisonment, Orla for allegedly painting "No more empty promises" on a Department building in reference to climate and Zac simply for allegedly filming that act. The real criminals are the big business polluters and the head-in-the-sand politicians. Activists like Orla, Zac and Aislinn should be congratulated, not criminalised.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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On the issue of Tusla's report and the review of the provision of accommodation for victims of domestic violence, as the Deputy will know, the Minister for Justice said last week that she would be taking overall responsibility for policy and wraparound services. She will therefore be publishing that review along with both interim and medium-term plans to provide for and develop those places, which we need. The Deputy has highlighted this need in respect of Roscommon. The report was submitted to the Ministers, Deputies O'Gorman and Naughton, and presented to the monitoring committee for the national strategy. There is significant underprovision in eight counties and other counties could also do with more places. From a capital perspective, the funding is there to be provided. Operationally, we need to move much faster. My understanding is that, under the present arrangements, a group has to apply to become a social housing body. My personal observation is that this is too unwieldy. The Minister wants to talk to the NGOs and organisations involved and to put some further ideas to them. The strategy on gender-based violence will go for consultation again to make sure that people are comfortable with all of its aspects. The Minister wants to make sure that, when we publish the review, we also have a delivery mechanism.

In the interim, local authorities should work now with service providers to provide additional places. There will be some structural changes following the strategy but we cannot wait until then. We should start working now, where feasible. Deputy Fleming has been working with a local group in Laois and has said they have basically reached agreement with regard to the development of a centre there. That decision was arrived at locally and the local authority and others were involved. The group is going to apply for approved social housing body status.

We need to move faster with regard to the provision of places. We should design these centres properly. There should be, in essence, a national design. We must then provide the requisite funding to provide proper services because many services have grown from the ground up, acquiring buildings and adding onto them. We should design proper, comprehensive centres that accommodate all needs and facilitate the work of professionals. There should be proper rooms and facilities for proper engagement with children and women in such centres.

The Deputy mentioned the situation in Roscommon. We are quite happy to work with the local authority there. I will mention the issue to the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage and to the Minister for Justice. I am satisfied that this will work out in the medium term as the strategy is developing and that we will have a better system in place to deal with the provision of places but we need to do work in the interim to provide more places for the women who need them.

On Deputy Paul Murphy's question, these are cases that are coming before the courts and it is not appropriate for me to comment on them. I do not believe this country is criminalising protest at all. I am committed to parliamentary democracy and to the right to freedom of expression and the right to freedom of speech. I have always been committed to those universal rights. I am thankful that this country celebrates those rights. We are part of the European Union, which remains one of the last bastions protecting these rights. I agree with the American President that the world is becoming increasingly polarised between authoritarian regimes and democratic regimes.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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He should know; he arms quite a few of them.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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We in the European Union have been dealing with Belarus, for example. Let us not always try to dilute the core argument I am putting forward because what I am saying is the truth.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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Look at Hungary.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I do not agree with what is going on in Hungary at all in some of what it is doing but equally let us not pretend either-----

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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Time is up on this question.