James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome Senators' positive comments on this important legislation which will strengthen measures that contribute to the Government's efforts to ensure our communities are safer. This legislation forms a core part of our efforts to tackle domestic, sexual and gender-based violence along with many other measures that we are taking legislatively, in terms of increased financial support and through strategies such as our domestic, sexual and gender-based violence strategy. My current and previous ministerial colleagues in the Department, Deputies McEntee, Humphreys and Harris, and I have been working closely with the Department and our Government colleagues and both Houses of the Oireachtas to ensure that we get this legislation right. We want to get the balance right and, most importantly, we want victims to feel confident that on coming forward, they will be supported. A lot of pragmatic and important suggestions were made by Senators from across the House and I will bring those back to the Department for further consideration. I thank Senators for their contributions.