Frank Fahey (Galway West, Fianna Fail)

I thank all the Members who contributed to this debate which has been useful to me and to my officials. In particular, I thank the Leader of the House for initiating the debate. As she remarked, it is worthwhile to have this kind of debate, not least from my perspective whereby I can learn from the Members' contributions, but also in terms of continuing to maintain a high profile on this issue.

There are three important aspects to the strategy being pursued at present. All are under consideration in the strategy that is now being developed under the auspices of the national committee which I chair. One is that the perpetrators of domestic violence are brought before the courts and that justice is done as quickly and effectively as possible. Clearly, that is not happening to the degree it should at present. It takes far too long and the required burden of proof is such that only a small minority of cases actually get to the courts where the perpetrators are brought to justice. This issue is being addressed at several levels and I am particularly anxious to make progress on it quickly.

Second, the resources required to support the work being done by the NGOs are insufficient. I have addressed this problem since taking this job. In the past 14 or 15 months, I have only brought one deputation to meet the Minister for Finance. It was a group from this sector, including the Rape Crisis Centre network, Women's Aid and other organisations. I did so because the Department of Health and Children had not increased the allocation of resources to this area during the previous three years. I hope this issue will now be addressed in the context of the Estimates, because I accept there are not sufficient resources to do the job being demanded of those organisations. They should be provided with funds if for no other reason, because such organisations carry out significant and preventative work. Given that the cost of curing many problems from a health, psychological and sociological perspective is so much higher, it makes sense to invest more money in preventative measures than is the case at present.

The third aspect pertains to the critical issue of awareness. Again, I hope to try to improve the level of support for the good work being done on awareness across the spectrum.

We want awareness among the general community. As a number of speakers, including the Leader, have said, this crime was traditionally accepted in this country as the male in the household was thought to be dominant. We are moving away from a cultural tradition that was unacceptable then and is certainly unacceptable now. We must empower women to come forward and report any forms of domestic violence. I have attended a number of seminars over the past 12 months and I listened to women who were the subjects of domestic violence say the burden lifted from their shoulders when they realised there was someone they could talk to. This was the first major positive impact for them. We must get the message across that these women should come forward, services are available and people, such as those present in the Visitors Gallery, are prepared to listen.

As a society, we must accept this is a heinous crime that is just as bad as, if not worse than, most other crimes. We cannot tolerate it and will not do so, a message our society must accept. At a recent launch, Women's Aid stated €70,000 would ensure calls that are unanswered by their services now would be answered. It was in this context that I responded immediately, saying we would try to find the money. We are doing so. It is a matter for the Department of Health and Children and the HSE but my officials and I are in discussion with both. We are also in discussion with Women's Aid to try to put together the resources it requires over the next 12 months.

I thank the Senators for their contributions. On AMEN, I have met a number of men's groups over the past 12 months and acknowledge the existence of an equality issue. The State does not currently respond in any way. I have indicated this to my officials and, last week, to the national committee. The Department must examine the issue. Various men's groups feel very bitter that they do not receive equality of treatment in courts or elsewhere. It is a matter we must examine, which we are prepared to do.

I responded negatively to AMEN as the vast majority of money sought for was for office accommodation and other types of costs I am unprepared to fund. Much money is being spent on offices and staff throughout the HSE and we will certainly not fund anyone else in the same way. I am prepared in principle to help people who wish to put services in place but I will not do any more. My advice to AMEN was instead of seeking offices, equipment and salaries from the Government, it should seek money to provide advice and assistance, which I am prepared to discuss. I thank everyone for participating in the debate and hope we can make progress on this important issue.