Máiría Cahill (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House today.

Recently I have been asked to help with a number of cases specifically around the issue of domestic violence and abuse. One of these cases involves a woman in her fifties who was resident in council accommodation for over 30 years. I do not want to identify her due to the very real danger that she may find herself in, and because of the obvious sensitivities. She found herself in a situation in which she had to leave her home recently after enduring decades of domestic violence. Due to the impending closure of the emergency accommodation she is now living in, she will find herself homeless two weeks before Christmas. She will also find herself way down the housing list as a result, even though she has never missed a payment of rent on the council house that she has lived in for more than 30 years.

Domestic violence affects thousands of people in this country, as the Minister of State will know. An environment needs to be created to encourage victims to leave the danger they are in. As many as 207 women have been murdered in Ireland since 1996. In 2014, Women's Aid heard 595 disclosures of sexual abuse, including 176 disclosures of rape by partners or ex-partners. Out of all of the contacts to Women's Aid, there were more than 1,600 disclosures of emotional, physical, sexual and financial abuse. It is with this in mind that I ask the Minister of State to outline how cases are prioritised in the system. I suggest that the Department introduce a verified points-based system to enable those most in need to achieve safe, secure and permanent housing, rather than taking cases by date order, or a separation of lists, which would mean there was a tangible way of measuring need. Victims deserve protection from domestic violence. Due to the increasing burden being placed on voluntary organisations, which do a great job in providing emergency accommodation, I ask that the Minister of State consider a new approach to the allocation of housing.