Katherine Zappone (Independent)

Last week, Senator Leyden acknowledged the start of the Women's Aid 16 days of action opposing violence against women, which Senator Bacik has just mentioned. This campaign, which highlights the fact that one in five women experience domestic violence, runs until Human Rights day on 10 December.

Our economic crisis affects everyone but none more so than our most vulnerable. Safe Ireland has identified a 43% increase in the number of women accessing its services over the past three years. Financial pressures and stress exacerbate what might already be a difficult home life for many people. Women who in the past may have had access to their own money that might have enabled them to leave violent situations, no longer have such funds available to them. Figures show that on more than 3,000 occasions last year services were unable to accommodate women and their children because a refuge was full or because there was no refuge in the area. Therefore, what Senator Bacik referred to is so important.

Funding to deal with domestic violence has been cut year on year for the past three years and some organisations have had their core funding removed. There has been an 11% cut in frontline service funding nationally over the past three years and the north-east has experienced a 35% cut over that period. As the need goes up, the money goes down. The reality of these cuts to statutory agencies and other service providers is that women and children must remain living in volatile, violent situations where their safety is at risk in their own homes.

We are all aware of the context of the budget and austerity measures, but the questions we must ask when making decisions about cuts in frontline services are: first of all, are we cutting the administrative fat, if there is any; or are we cutting the actual services which may result in harm being caused to our most vulnerable people? Second, has the Government undertaken an impact analysis of the cuts in this area to ensure that the lives of people will not be at greater risk? If and when we get the Minister of State, Deputy Brian Hayes, into the Chamber these are the questions I will ask. I want to support Senator O'Brien's request in that regard.

Senator Leyden called on us to mark the 16 days of action opposing violence against women, while Senator Bacik has sought such a debate and I support their calls. To achieve clarity on this issue, perhaps we should invite the Minister Health to attend the House as he has responsibility for funding the sector. He might also be able to deal with crossover issues such as those concerning the national strategy on domestic and gender-based violence, which comes under the remit of the Department of Justice and Equality. Yet it also has relevance for the Minister for Health because, as the strategy identifies, one of its high-level goals is to deliver effective and consistent services to those affected.