Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

This Government has a strong track record on funding DSGBV services, including the increases that were provided in last year's budget to Tusla for funding the services, and with regard to the Department of Justice funding other supports, especially around the victims of domestic and sexual violence. That has been continued in this year's budget with a very substantial increase for Tusla. In my engagement with Tusla on the funding of existing domestic violence services, the funding of new services was also identified as a priority. The Senator will be aware that the accommodation review of refuges will be published shortly and we will be looking to support that in conjunction with my Department, the Department of Justice and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage in the context of the capital acquisitions scheme which is the capital funding. It is about bringing those elements together. That is what we are doing with the overall audit of the provision of DSGBV services. There is ongoing engagement with the sector in learning the positive lessons from Covid around how agencies, Departments and NGOs can work together.