Joe McHugh (Fine Gael)

I welcome the Minister of State and strongly support the weight given by speakers to this important debate. The physical infrastructure to deal with this problem is a necessity and other speakers have highlighted the importance of directing funds towards this. The statistic that one in five Irish women is subject to domestic violence should not be taken lightly and the physical infrastructure to deal with it should be provided as a matter of importance.

I will allude to my personal experience in dealing with the social or human resource infrastructure necessary to deal with this area. I have seen neighbourhood workers going into houses in certain communities, not to seek out women who suffered domestic violence but to help with parental advice or budgeting, as some households have many needs. I have seen such intervention work successfully and we should put whatever resources we can into that area. Many women's groups lobby constantly to get their projects mainstreamed and to get extra funding but having a refuge centre in every village is not practical. However, networking, going into homes and building up the confidence of women who are subject to domestic violence must be options. Confidence is the key to reporting violence. If the gardaí are intervening in a particular house every Saturday night but the case is not going to the courts, that is an example of a woman lacking the confidence to share her story.

This area is dealt with by several Departments but we need to look at neighbourhood workers and at how we can support families. Domestic violence is a specific issue but we are coming back to the family unit, and there are so many problems affecting families that we must offer them whatever support or intervention we can. There is an onus on us as representatives and on the State to provide that support.

I reiterate my support for infrastructural aid. I also concur with other speakers who have read statistics into the record, although I will not go over that ground again.