Aideen Hayden (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I support Senator Moran's call for a debate on domestic violence experienced by women and the wider issue of the funding of alternative accommodation, including refuge accommodation, for such women. In 2012, 14,792 people reported to the Women's Aid national freefone helpline that they had experienced domestic violence. Senators dealing with these circumstances will know that one of the major difficulties affected women face is the inability to find somewhere else to live. They may have no viable housing alternative. A major difficulty is that many of the women are actually co-owners of the family home. Although the family home may be in significant negative equity, it restricts the woman from being designated as in housing need and restricts access to rent supplement payment very severely. This basically means the women are utterly trapped and have nowhere to go. Could we broaden the debate slightly to include the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Joan Burton, in that the lack of payments made by her Department prevents many women from escaping very severe domestic violence?