Áine Brady (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)

On behalf of the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Deputy Dermot Ahern, I thank the Senator for raising the important issue of the development and co-ordination of cross-Border sexual assault services. The Government takes the problem of sexual violence very seriously. Heinous crimes are involved, with serious consequences for victims. Owing to their hidden nature and the frequent reluctance of victims to report them, they are crimes which can be difficult to tackle.

It is vitally important to provide effective services for victims of sexual assaults. The Department of Health and Children, through the Health Service Executive, is very much involved in the provision of such services. There are six sexual assault treatment units located around the country, all of which strive to provide a 24-hour service, seven days a week. The units are located at the Rotunda Hospital in Dublin, the South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital in Cork, Waterford Regional Hospital, the Midlands Hospital in Mullingar, as well as in Galway and Letterkenny. Alternative ring-fenced accommodation has been sourced for the units in Mullingar and Letterkenny to place them in a better position to provide care around the clock and to remove certain infrastructural constraints which have limited their ability to offer a 24-hour service seven days a week.

In its 2009 policy on domestic and sexual violence the HSE outlined actions to provide for the standardisation of sexual assault services. Important progress has been made in this regard. In early 2009 the first group of clinical nurse-midwife specialists completed the academic component of the Higher Diploma in Nursing by passing the sexual assault forensic nursing examination in the Royal College of Surgeons Ireland. These specially trained nurses are now providing holistic care for the victims of sexual assault in the sexual assault treatment units. As well as undertaking a clinical and forensic examination of male and female victims whose cases will proceed through the criminal justice system, these nurses also provide care for persons who choose not to report an incident to the Garda Síochána.

The Government's commitment to tackling sexual violence was reflected in the establishment in June 2007 of Cosc, the national office for the prevention of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence. Cosc is a national executive office within the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform with a whole of government remit to co-ordinate the work of the many organisations involved in addressing sexual violence. The organisations include Departments and State agencies. The non-governmental organisations working in this area deserve special mention for their commitment to service provision for sexual violence victims for many years.

The recent publication of the national strategy on domestic, sexual and gender-based violence for the five-year period from 2010 to 2014 is a particularly important milestone. The national strategy sets out detailed actions to strengthen measures to assist victims of sexual violence, while at the same time strengthening measures to deal with the perpetrators of such violence.

In the context of work on the preparation of the national strategy, officials from Cosc met their counterparts in the Northern Ireland Office and the Northern Ireland Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety in June last year. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss matters of common concern, including opportunities for cross-Border working, the development of policy and awareness-raising, and the challenges still faced in tackling domestic and sexual violence. There has been informal and positive contact between the parties since the meeting and it is intended to continue this co-operation. One of the specific actions mentioned in the recently launched national strategy is exploring areas of work to identify those suitable for cross-Border co-operation in addressing domestic and sexual violence. This will strengthen the opportunities to engage in cross-Border work and improve collaboration to achieve one of the strategy's goals, namely, to deliver an effective and consistent service to those affected by domestic and sexual violence. The process of identifying areas of work suitable for cross-Border co-operation, including consulting interested parties, will be completed later this year. Specific projects will then be considered, in conjunction with our Northern Ireland counterparts. More broadly and in line with Government policy the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform continues to engage with the authorities in Northern Ireland with a view to providing integrated and seamless co-operation across a number of policy areas relating to sexual violence.

The Sex Offenders Act 2001 contains a comprehensive series of provisions aimed at protecting children and other persons from sexual violence perpetrators. The Act requires persons convicted of a range of sexual offences to notify the Garda Síochána of their address. These requirements also extend to any offenders convicted abroad, including in Northern Ireland, of the same range of sexual offences who enter the State. The Minister is reviewing the operation of the 2001 Act and expects to be in a position to seek Government approval later this year for a series of amendments to it.

In addition, the Garda Síochána and the Police Service for Northern Ireland maintain close contact and exchange intelligence on convicted sex offenders. A memorandum of understanding was signed by the Irish and British Governments in 2006 on the sharing of information on sex offenders between the Garda Síochána and the PSNI, as well as other British police forces. The Garda Síochána and the PSNI subsequently signed an agreement on the sharing of personal data in relation to the investigation of sexual offences and the monitoring of sex offenders.

Moreover, the Probation Service works in close collaboration with the Probation Board for Northern Ireland to ensure effective communication is maintained regarding sex offenders who move between the two jurisdictions. Protocols to this effect have been in place since 2006 and are being reviewed.

In summary, the Government is committed to tackling the problem of sexual violence in meeting the needs of victims and dealing with perpetrators. This includes building cross-Border development and co-operation, as appropriate.