Seán Kyne (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Cathaoirleach's office for choosing this Commencement matter. I agree with Senator Buttimer regarding the lack of availability of the line Ministers for Commencement debates in general. That said, I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donovan, who is always very amenable to coming before this House. Any time I have raised issues related to his area of responsibility, he has been here.

It goes without saying that the rape crisis centres nationwide do invaluable work. They are hugely important and while we all wish there was no need for them, unfortunately there is such a need and there will be in future as well. Galway Rape Crisis Centre is the second largest rape crisis centre in the country. At present it has a waiting list of 86 people and it has requested extra funding from Tusla. That funding is needed both to enhance services and to maintain the current level of services being provided. The centre provides extra clinical hours on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings, with counsellors working until 9 p.m. Since November 2020, the centre has run a Saturday clinic, with two counsellors seeing clients, but without the extra funding requested, it will no longer be able to provide the Saturday clinic or the extra midweek counselling hours that have been provided throughout the year.

On the current waiting list, there are 23 adolescents and two adolescent supporters. The centre covers the geographical area of Galway city and county, north Clare, south Mayo and Roscommon but anybody who has experienced sexual trauma or abuse can present to the rape crisis centre. There are two universities in Galway, the National University of Ireland at Galway, NUIG and the Atlantic Technological University, ATU, which are attended by thousands of people from the region and from across the country. In effect, Galway Rape Crisis Centre is seeing people from every corner of this country. Obviously, clients from the universities add significantly to the workload and waiting times at the centre.

From January to October of this year, the Galway Rape Crisis Centre offered 4,375 counselling appointments. It offered 4,727 such appointments in the whole of 2021. From January to October 2021, it offered 3,687 counselling appointments which means that in the same period in 2022, the centre offered an extra 688 appointments. Despite this, the centre still has a significant waiting list. It is possible that such figures are replicated in other parts of the country. Clearly the need is there and the invaluable work the rape crisis centres do is evident. The waiting list is a statistic in its own right. The Galway Rape Crisis Centre also plays an invaluable role in the city's two universities.

The additional funding that is required is pivotal to the future of Galway Rape Crisis Centre. Without it, the centre will have to turn to the public and engage in fundraising. While fundraising is an important source of income, the cost-of-living crisis is putting pressure on households and limiting people's ability to give generously to the most worthy of causes, including the rape crisis centres. I am hoping the Minister of State, on behalf of the Minister for Justice, will provide additional funding to allow the centre to maintain and enhance its existing service provision in order to provide the support that is so needed by women and men across Galway city and county and the wider area.