Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senator Kyne for raising such an important issue. The statistics he raises are quite shocking. They are also quite enlightening and make us all sit up and pay attention to the scale of the problem the Senator has raised. On behalf of the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, I fully acknowledge the vital work undertaken by Galway Rape Crisis Centre, by all rape crisis centres and by anybody who works with victims of sexual violence. The service that the centre provides to victims of domestic and sexual violence is recognised and appreciated, as is the service provided by all of our NGO partners who work with and advocate for victims and survivors of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence. I would like to start by thanking them for the work they do.

We know that the demands on services have increased over the past two years, as the Senator has outlined, and we know that costs have risen. This is not just true for Galway Rape Crisis Centre, but for most of the front-line service providers we engage with. As the Senator mentioned, Zero Tolerance, the new national strategy to combat domestic, sexual and gender-based violence, was launched earlier this year. It is an ambitious five-year programme of reform, a whole-of-society plan of action. Implementation is a whole-of-government priority, backed up by a substantial funding commitment under budget 2023.

The total allocated to Tusla for funding domestic, sexual and gender-based violence services is now at €37 million, representing an extra €9 million, or a 22% increase, in funding for 2023. This record allocation is representative of our commitment to continue working with our NGO partners to deliver on commitments made in the third national strategy. The extra €9 million provided includes increased funding of €6.8 million for organisations funded by Tusla, which is being made available through a targeted funding call. Some €6.8 million will be used to maintain existing services, to address existing acute demands and costs and for the enhancement and development of new services. There will be an emphasis on supporting projects to address geographic need, on those with additional vulnerabilities or complex needs, and on supports for young people who have experienced sexual violence. Senator Kyne referred to the two universities in Galway, which was an appropriate comment to make in that context. Some €900,000 will be specifically made available for sexual violence services to meet the needs of younger people and to address geographical gaps in provision.

I fully appreciate that security of funding is of key importance to front-line service providers. We are looking to offer multiannual funding commitments to the NGOs. This will promote more sustainable service delivery and planning to cover areas such as court accompaniment, accompaniment to Garda interviews and to sexual assault treatment units, emotional support, counselling and referral to other services. The introduction of standardised multiannual funding structures is something we will be examining under the strategy.

Separate to the funding of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence services, the Department of Justice has allocated €6.1 million for other measures to tackle domestic, sexual and gender-based violence, including through awareness-raising campaigns and funding for perpetrator programmes. The Department of Justice has allocated a further €5.8 million to promote and assist the development of specific support services for victims of crime within the criminal justice system, including victims of domestic and sexual crime. These services provide important information and supports including emotional support, accompaniment to Garda interviews, to sexual assault treatment units and to court, as well as referral to other services.

On behalf of the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, I assure the Senator that we will continue to work closely with the sector as we progress the implementation of the third national strategy and realise the actions aimed at combating all forms of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence and at ensuring that victims and survivors have the full range of supports they need. I will bring the specific issues the Senator has raised with regard to Galway to the attention of the Ministers, Deputies O'Gorman and Humphreys.