Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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Domestic violence is at epidemic levels. Women's Aid has published its annual report and it makes for very grim reading. Last year, it received the highest number of domestic abuse complaints in its 50-year history. All forms of abuse against women have increased. Physical abuse is up 22%, sexual abuse by 30%, emotional abuse up 15% and economic abuse up 5%. One third of women who reached out to help were subjected to abuse by an ex-partner. The relationship may end but the abuse does not. All the statistics are going in the wrong direction and Women's Aid says this is only the tip of the iceberg. Behind these statistics are real women and their children; real lives shattered. The report reflects that Government must do a far better job to achieve zero tolerance of violence against women. After 15 years of Government strategy on domestic violence, where are we? We still do not have a women's refuge in every county; we have a judicial system that does not work for victims; inconsistent, even lenient, sentences for perpetrators; victims looking to take out barring orders against their abuser yet unable to secure legal representation; and 44% of victims reporting that they found the gardaí unhelpful in a domestic violence situation. We still do not have a register of domestic abusers to protect women from repeat offenders. That is the aim of legislation named in honour of Jennie Poole. Jennie was stabbed to death by her abuser in 2021, a man with a history of violence against women. She did not know that; neither did her family. Jennie was 24.

Support services remain underfunded and overstretched and Government is failing to meet legal obligations in respect of refuge spaces. The Government is also failing to ensure refuges provide the vital wraparound services that women and children need.

I am also mindful that refuges are not the ultimate answer. They are a very necessary, but temporary, protection and not a long-term solution. The needs of women fleeing domestic violence have to be hardwired into the response to the housing crisis. The question has to be asked: why is it that it is the victim who is forced to leave her home but the perpetrator remains undisturbed?

Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal West, Sinn Fein)
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Here, here.

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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What message does this send to women fighting to survive? After 15 years of strategy, the Government is still talking about basic training initiatives for front-line responders. Where is the urgency? None of this is good enough. Women faced with violence and abuse deserve far more.

Léiríonn tuarascáil scannalach de chuid Women's Aid inniu go bhfuil eipidéim ag dul in olcas maidir le foréigin baile agus go bhfuil géarghá le gníomh láidir ón Rialtas. In my constituency, the community is not waiting. Women have come together to campaign for zero tolerance of violence against women in all places where we live our lives. We want every commercial, sporting and community space to be a zero-tolerance space. After 15 years of Government strategy on domestic violence, women are now looking for vision and action that will actually make a difference. Where is the step change from Government that will actually deliver to ensure zero tolerance and that women and children are safe?

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy for raising the Women's Aid report. At 11 o'clock this morning, I was down on Wood Quay and I launched that report. I commend Women's Aid on the excellent work it has done for 51 years in Ireland in identifying the unacceptable behaviour of abuse against women.

The Deputy raised a number of issues, which Government is dealing with, and I will identify a few of them. She referred to the criminal justice system and how it needs to be adapted to ensure women can feel more confident about coming before the courts to ensure the criminal acts against them are dealt with appropriately by the courts. I have received approval from Government to bring forward an amendment to the sexual offences Act to ensure the issue of counselling notes will be dealt with properly once and for all. Under the legislation I am bringing forward and that Government has approved, it will mean counselling notes will only ever be able to be used in trials if it is the case that to not use them would result in an unfair trial.

I also wish to let the Deputy know about the issue in respect of the register for domestic violence. I had the privilege last week of meeting Jason Poole along with my colleagues Senator Fiona O'Loughlin and Deputy Paul McAuliffe. He has been to the forefront of trying to ensure there is some mechanism in place to make sure women, who are the victims of abusers, can find out information about men who have previously abused and been convicted of criminal offences in respect of other women. That work is ongoing in my Department.

Deputy McDonald also mentioned refugee spaces. I agree with her that it should not be the case that the first instinct and the first port of call when a woman is subjected to domestic abuse in her home is that we ask how we can find another place for that woman to live. The response should be: how we can get the abuser out of the home? Of course, there are mechanisms in place to ensure that is being done, whether it is through barring orders, safety orders or other mechanisms that are available to women who find themselves in the appalling situation of being subjected to domestic abuse. That is an area I am committed to ensuring is adequately funded.

The Deputy asked what the Government has done. I have to commend my predecessor on the work she did in this area. She established a separate statutory agency, Cuan, which has daily responsibility for trying to ensure there are refuge spaces. I agree with the Deputy in that it should not be our first port of call but it is unquestionably the case that we require refuge spaces throughout the country. I have visited many of them. An excellent refuge in Drogheda is an example of how it should be done. There will be one opening in my own constituency shortly in Ringsend. However, in order for that to happen, and for the progress to be seen to be advanced in the area of refuge spaces, it is a huge benefit that we have a separate statutory agency in Cuan that is focusing on getting those refuge spaces. It is also the case that having a separate statutory agency in place really shows the seriousness with which Government is treating this issue. Yesterday, I got approval from Government in respect of the zero-tolerance strategy and the final implementation plan for the strategy that goes up to the end of 2026. It shows that Government, and every Member of this House, is taking this issue extremely seriously.

The Deputy is right about the numbers of individuals who are responding to Women's Aid. Indeed, An Garda Síochána got over 60,000 complaints of domestic abuse last year. Behind each of those statistics is a story and we cannot get lost in the narrative of statistics. She mentioned An Garda Síochána. I was concerned about the fact that a percentage of women were not satisfied with their initial engagement with gardaí but the majority were satisfied and we need to reflect that. Training is ongoing in Templemore in respect of this issue. I am sure it can be improved but gardaí do an excellent job in this area.

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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I thank the Minister. Let me acknowledge the actions that have been taken by Government and the commitment the Minister has made here to the House in respect of Jennie's law and further reform. That is welcome but it is not enough. The evidence on the ground reflects the reality that violence against women and their children is not taken with the seriousness it deserves. Those are the facts on the ground. Women feel unsafe. Women in very dangerous circumstances find it difficult to leave and difficult to access the supports they require. I said to the Minister that we have had 15 years of strategy. What we need now is a step change in delivery and resourcing. Cuan, the statutory agency, is slow. The provision of refuge spaces is slow.

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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I thank the Deputy. The Minister to respond.

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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The lack of standardisation is undesirable, as is the lack of wraparound services.

I do not want the Minister to deliver just more of the same. We need a real step change if we are to achieve zero tolerance.

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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Domestic violence against women is taken extremely seriously by the Government. I outlined some of the measures in my response to the Deputy but more are ongoing. I did not mention the fact that we are going to amend the Guardianship of Infants Act 1964, which will ensure greater rights for the families of children whose mother, generally, has been murdered by the father of the child. We need to ensure that the father does not retain exclusive responsibility after that.

I also want the Deputy to know that a sign of how serious the Government is taking it is that it was on the agenda last week at the North-South Ministerial Council. Naomi Long and I decided that this issue of domestic violence against women is an issue of such seriousness that it affects the whole island and we put it on the agenda of the North-South Ministerial Council.

Cuan has had a very significant impact. It shows the seriousness with which the Government is taking this issue and the unacceptability of what happened in the past, where women tolerated it and people did not listen to them when they were subjected to domestic abuse. Those days are over. A part of the reason that more people are coming forward is that women feel confident to come forward.