Joe O'Reilly (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I join in congratulating the Minister and, as she said, her officials on bringing forward this legislation, successfully piloting it through the Houses of the Oireachtas, and on the fact she is totally proactive and able to announce today that the agency is being set up, formed and actioned. That is so important. I am all too painfully aware that sometimes things like this can remain on the shelf. That is not the Minister's style and not what should happen. I am delighted this will be followed up with action. Gender-based violence is one of the horrors of our time and, tragically, one of the horrors of many generations and of civilisation. "Civilisation" is hardly the correct word in the context but it has been the horror of the reality of the human condition over generations and centuries. This violence is objectively wrong but the great thing is we are moving forward in dealing with it.

I salute the Minister for majoring in the whole area of domestic violence and making it very much a personal priority in her Ministry.It is so important that this would happen. Tragically, for so long in previous years it was almost considered to be an in-house, family affair. Wonderfully, we are evolving out of that. I thank the Minister for her leadership in that regard.

I could not agree more with my colleague Senator Gallagher on the importance of establishing a refuge centre for Cavan and Monaghan. I would urge that the Minister is hands-on in ensuring that actually happens. This facility is important and I believe the Senator made the case for it well. It is very obvious and it is implicit in the legislation and everything that the Minister is about. I just hope that can be the case.

I am delighted to be here on such a day. As the Minister has said, it is historic and important. We are moving forward. In summary, there can be zero tolerance of anything approaching domestic violence, physical, psychological or in all its manifestations.