Marie Sherlock (Labour) | Oireachtas source

It is very clear that there is not. In 2018, SIPTU lodged the pay claim. In 2019, we had the motion in this House. It is now 2021 and there has still been no progress. We must figure this out right across the House. As Senator Gavan said, we cannot allow this Seanad's term to conclude and have secretarial assistants still being treated so shamefully by the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission.

Today is International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. We had domestic violence, rape and other forms of violence against women in this country long before the State was ever set up, but, in particular, we have had them during the pandemic. We saw a frightening escalation in the number of reports to the Garda last year. Women's Aid alone received 30,000 calls in 2020. How many women are present in the Chamber today? Data from Women's Aid show that one in four women in this country has been she has been abused by a current or former partner. That is frightening. Not only is there a personal cost to the women and their families, there is also a societal cost, an economic cost in terms of their jobs and a cost in terms of access to housing among other issues.

Ireland signed up to the Istanbul Convention, which was ratified in 2019, but we have a long way to go to meet the commitments under it. One of those commitments relates to the number of refuges in this country. There are nine counties with no refuge. Senator Ward has spoken about the lack of a refuge in Dún Laoghaire. Huge credit is due to the refuges in Stepaside and Coolock, which I have had dealings with over the years. If the Government is to do anything, it must put in place a greater number of refuges so that women are not left short when they are in desperate need of urgent care.