Mary O'Rourke (Fianna Fail)

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Fahey, who has been very consistent with his attention and diligence to this aspect of his brief. We received very good documentation from Women's Aid and Amen. I am disappointed a spirit of hostility is apparent in some of the documentation we received from Amen regarding supports and help for Women's Aid. That is not the way it should be. If violence takes place — as happens — perpetrated against both sexes, both should work together. I do not fault Women's Aid in this regard as it has always put across its point of view clearly. I did not like the particular point made by Amen which stated:

There are many obvious reasons why men do not report, including the lack of support services for men. This is a consequence of Government policy. In excess of €15 million per annum is provided by Government for services for female victims, but less than 1% of this amount is provided for male victims.

As a woman, I would not be in a position to discuss violence against either men or women from personal experience. However, I have personal experience of people who have come to me in that regard, and they were always women. I never received an approach from a man upon whom domestic violence had been perpetrated. However, the 2003 National Crime Council survey found that men were the victims of domestic violence and therefore we must accept it. However, I do not like the apparent spirit of rivalry. It is an awful topic and should not be viewed in that respect.

We had a similar debate last year and we have made a feature of it. I thank those who commented on that point. Senators Kett and Terry along with others referred to the difficulty of not being able to answer the telephone. A telephone is a wonderful weapon for people who have been victims of domestic violence. It is relatively anonymous and easy to lift the telephone and tell one's tale. It is very serious that 40% of calls cannot be answered owing to lack of funding. I spoke to the Minister of State after last year's debate and I know he tried to get additional funding for this sector, but it did not materialise. While he was able to provide for other matters, this additional money is desperately needed. People working in the voluntary sector are greatly fuelled by idealism and by a wish to do the right thing and help. However, if that is thwarted by a lack of money, they feel a strong sense of upset and frustration. I hope the Minister of State will be able to address the issue.

The Minister of State also spoke about the need for two more centres, one in Galway — obviously he will look after Galway all right — and one for the midlands.