Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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8. To ask the Taoiseach when the Cabinet Committee on Social Affairs and Equality will next meet. [61817/22]

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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9. To ask the Taoiseach when the Cabinet Committee that deals with social protection will next meet. [3074/23]

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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10. To ask the Taoiseach when the Cabinet Committee that deals with social protection will next meet. [3077/23]

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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11. To ask the Taoiseach when the Cabinet Committee on Social Affairs and Equality will next meet. [4217/23]

Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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12. To ask the Taoiseach when the Cabinet Committee on Social Affairs and Equality will next meet. [4219/23]

Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour)
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13. To ask the Taoiseach when the Cabinet Committee on Social Affairs and Equality will next meet. [4370/23]

Ruairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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14. To ask the Taoiseach when the Cabinet Committee that deals with social protection will next meet. [4413/23]

Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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15. To ask the Taoiseach when the Cabinet Committee that deals with immigration and integration will next meet. [4422/23]

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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16. To ask the Taoiseach when the Cabinet Committee that deals with immigration and integration will next meet. [4426/23]

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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17. To ask the Taoiseach when the Cabinet Committee that deals with immigration and integration will next meet. [4429/23]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 8 to 17, inclusive, together.

The Cabinet committee on social affairs and public services oversees implementation of the programme for Government commitments in the areas of social policy and public services. The committee covers a range of topics in the areas of social policy with a particular focus on equality and integration and public service reform. Other topics covered by the committee include sport, social protection, arts and culture, public services and justice issues such as policing reform and community safety.

The Cabinet committee will receive detailed reports on identified policy areas and consider the implementation of commitments and reforms. The first meeting of the new Cabinet committee will be held shortly.

Issues recently considered by the previous Cabinet committee on social affairs and equality, which last met at the end of October 2022, include the implementation of the third national domestic, sexual and gender-based violence strategy and progress on policing reforms. In addition to meetings of the Cabinet committee, I have regular engagement with Ministers at Cabinet level and individually to discuss priority issues relating to their Departments. Meetings have also been held between my officials and officials from relevant Government Departments on a range of social policy issues.

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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The Group of Experts on Action against Violence against Women and Domestic Violence, GREVIO, which is tasked with monitoring signatory states' implementation of the Istanbul Convention, is meeting with Irish stakeholders this week. In its submission to GREVIO, the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, IHREC, has called for the urgent implementation of multi-agency domestic homicide reviews. A former Minister for Justice commissioned an independent study into familicide and domestic homicide reviews a number of years ago. The current Minister has yet to progress legislation despite a commitment in the 2020 programme for Government. We know the report has been sitting on the Minister's desk since late last summer, yet there is no mention of the promised Bill in the recently published legislative programme. Multi-agency domestic homicide reviews have been in place in Britain for years. They are carried out by an independent chair with the support of a panel of representatives from statutory, voluntary and community organisations. They were introduced in the North in 2020. When will the Minister publish the study and when will we see the legislation on this?

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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If one were to believe the ads the Government ran about the cost of living that stated people were entitled to various supports from the Government, one would think there was a lot of support for people who need exceptional needs payments and are struggling with the cost-of-living crisis. My clinic was absolutely overrun in the days coming up to Christmas with people in desperate situations and it has become worse in the new year. People are seriously struggling. People need money for food and to pay heating bills and pre-pay power. People are paying up to €10 a day for gas and so on. They simply cannot afford it. People are crying in my clinic. One of the things that is an obstacle to people getting support is that there is no longer a community welfare officer whom a person can go to see. When I asked a parliamentary question about this, I was told that there is a hotline and that people can make appointments. It is simply not true. A community welfare officer cannot be seen for love nor money at the moment and desperate people are finding it impossible to access supports they badly need.

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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On Saturday, there was a horrendous attack on homeless migrants living in tents in Ashtown. They were attacked using dogs, baseball bats and sticks because of they are migrants. It is the horrifying consequence of the spread of far-right, racist, divisive and hateful ideas and organisations. Last night, far-right activists were claiming to have burnt down a building. A building was certainly burnt down, seemingly because it was potentially going to be used as refugee accommodation or for refugee education. This is going to get worse unless a significant change in Government policy takes place. Far-right activists are running amok and someone - most likely a migrant or an Irish person of colour - will either be seriously injured or killed. The Government should change its approach to housing because this is being abused by the far right. The Government should stop its divisive and discriminatory rhetoric and policy, for example towards non-Ukrainian asylum seekers.

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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Carlow County Council has applied for €12 million funding for conservation work on a former Presentation Convent building at Tullow Street in Carlow, which is a huge part of our cultural quarter. This is a dynamic design at the rear of the existing library building, which is too small and inadequate for the expanding services since university status was awarded to Carlow. The new build will have an enhanced local studies section, which is so important for schoolchildren and students; an impressive county archives area; a children's library; a new tourism office; and a large light-filled civic space in the centre of the building. This building is extremely important for the people of Carlow and I ask that funding for it be supplied. I know it is at stage 3 planning. I ask the Taoiseach to talk to the Minister to see what can be done.

Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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I raise the matter of women’s refuges in the Cavan-Monaghan area. Counties Cavan and Monaghan are among the nine counties not to have such a facility. I work very closely with Safe Ireland, which has done incredible work, particularly Mary McDermott, on this issue. It presented a blueprint document that all of our local authorities can work and strive towards on designing centres of domestic violence prevention and response. The blueprint gives us all a design we can follow. More importantly, I ask all the arms of the State in counties Cavan and Monaghan, including the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and Tusla, to come behind our local authorities. There is a willingness to deliver it among all these great people. I ask that the push to deliver this, which is already coming from the Government, continues.

Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour)
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When I chaired the special Committee on Gender Equality over the past year, the Taoiseach engaged extensively with us, as did his colleagues in government, for which I thank him. One of the committee's clear and unanimous recommendations was that referendums on constitutional changes to Articles 40 and 41 would be held to give effect to recommendations Nos. 1 to 3, inclusive, of the citizens' assembly. Our committee also took the view that these votes can and should be held during 2023. The report we published in December provided a draft form of wording for the proposed amendments to see recognition for the principle of gender equality and to remove the sexist language currently in the constitutional text, referring exclusively to women and mothers as having a life and duties within the home. Our recommendations would expand the definition of "family" under the Constitution to make it more inclusive. There is a clear opportunity to hold such a referendum this autumn, which would leave extensive time for engagement and wording and for the establishment of the necessary commission. Will the Taoiseach agree to hold a referendum during this calendar year?

Ruairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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The Government has spoken about community welfare or exceptional needs payments as a means of dealing with the cost-of-living crisis that many people are dealing with. We are all aware of many people who are waiting an extremely long time. I know of cases in Dundalk of people waiting eight, nine and ten weeks, or longer. In some cases, we know these people are applying for exceptional needs payments to purchase white goods, for example if they have just got a council house. The delay in making such payments slows down the process of them leaving their previous house, a house that we would probably like to engage with renters and other people on from the point of view of getting them into absolutely necessary accommodation. We are dealing with multiple issues. This is meant to be a solution. We need to ensure the resources are in place, but I do not believe they are and neither do the people trying to avail of it, who are generally looking for emergency payments. We need to do something.

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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Most Irish people want to help those who are fleeing from war, violence or hunger around the world. Most Irish people want to be the Good Samaritan, but there is genuine concern with the Government's handling of the migration process. There must be consultation with communities. They have a right to have a say over how their areas will be developed. There must be a community dividend. Many working-class areas are already suffering from a lack of housing, GPs, school places and transport. Bringing large numbers of people into these deprived areas must be accompanied by real investment into these issues.

The asylum application process also needs to be speeded up. It should not take more than six months. Those who are not genuine asylum applicants or who have destroyed their travel documents to confuse the process must be sent home. Services that are designed to help asylum seekers, such as housing services, must also be available to Irish people in need; otherwise, the Government will divide people.

The Government is far too reliant on hotels in this system. Many communities are dependent on the tourism industry. Unless alternative accommodation is found for refugees, other than hotel accommodation, the livelihoods of many communities will be hammered in the near future.

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputies for their contributions. At the outset, reports of the attack in Ashtown near the Tolka River are very disturbing. While I cannot comment on the specifics of the case, I condemn unreservedly any incident or threat of violence against vulnerable people in our society, particularly those from migrant backgrounds. People have the right to protest but they do not have the right to do it in a way that causes others to fear for their safety or in ways that threaten public order. I sought a report from gardaí on this, which I have received but have not yet had the chance to read. They are continuing to investigate the incident. I am sure Deputies will appreciate that I cannot comment further on an open investigation.

While the number of people sleeping rough is down to approximately 91 in the Dublin region, the upward trend of people accessing emergency accommodation in recent months is of serious concern to the Government. We introduced a no-fault eviction ban, a new acquisitions programme for vulnerable households, emergency leasing of extra units and increased housing assistance payment discretion rates. We are implementing the largest social housing programme in the history of the State. We do not have the figure yet, but we think the number of new social homes provided last year will be the highest since 1975. I know that the men who were the victims of this attack have been offered shelter. One is in hospital and others are in contact with services. They were offered shelter previously but did not avail of it for their own reasons. They want to be able to stay together and that has complicated matters a bit.

Several Deputies mentioned the community welfare service. I hear what they are saying in terms of difficulties their constituents are having in accessing community welfare officers. I will certainly raise this with the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, in the coming days.

On the referendum on gender equality and on the family, I anticipate bringing forward the proposed wording. I welcome the fact that there are options but we hope to bring the proposed wording to the Cabinet before the end of this quarter. The electoral commission will be established next week. I think I am correct in saying the electoral commission will be the referendum commission, which means we do not have to go through the complicated process of establishing a referendum commission every time we have a referendum. I cannot promise that we will have the referendums this year but I would like to have them done this year. We will have a better idea in that regard in the next few weeks.

I will check with the Minister, Deputy Harris, about the timeline with regard to the homicide reviews. We have launched a new strategy to combat domestic, sexual and gender-based violence, DSGBV. It is a five-year programme of reform, which aims at achieving a society that does not accept DSGBV or attitudes that underpin DSGBV. The strategy and accompanying implementation plan contains more than 140 detailed actions for implementation. There will be strong political oversight of implementation through the Cabinet committee on social affairs and public services, which I chair. Education and awareness raising is also a big part of the Government's fight against this form of violence. We are working on national campaigns to raise awareness, including on the meaning of consent. Some of the main actions include doubling the number of refuge spaces available in Ireland.

Deputy Niamh Smyth raised the issue of advocacy in relation to County Cavan, in particular when it comes to providing refuge spaces there.

National sexual violence and domestic violence prevalence studies will be conducted at five-year intervals. There will be new legislation to provide for the introduction of the specific offences of non-fatal strangulation and stalking. Other measures include the training of front-line workers to identify domestic violence and refer victims and survivors to the appropriate services, and improving prosecutions and breaches of any and all DSGBV civil orders provided for in domestic violence and family law legislation.

The Government is also continuing to drive forward with the implementation of Supporting a Victim's Journey. We are determined that when victims of crime come forward, they will be safe in the knowledge that they will be helped, informed and treated with respect and dignity at every stage of their journey through the justice system.

We have also focused on strengthening legislation, including the Criminal Justice (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2022. This wide-ranging Bill will increase the maximum sentence for assault causing harm from five years to ten.

Regarding the geographical provision of refuge spaces, we acknowledge the need for a significant increase in the provision of spaces and are committed to achieving this so that every person who needs a refuge space will have access to one. During the initial phase of work, we expect to provide 24 more spaces in Wexford, Dundalk and Navan by next year. There will be a further 98 units in identified locations in 2025 along with a further 19 additional and upgraded units by the end of the strategy period. There are also plans to have 32 safe home units operational presently with plans to expand the numbers to 55 before the end of 2023.