Robbie Gallagher (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for her response. I am delighted this Government has prioritised the location of a refuge centre in either County Cavan or County Monaghan. It is imperative. I am heartened by the urgency this issue has been given, because it is vitally important that we have a refuge centre to protect these poor victims of domestic violence. The quicker that happens, the better. The same is true of the wraparound services we need to go with that for the women and their children. It must be a horrific experience for any woman to go through and unfortunately the numbers are consistently on the rise. I welcome this and look forward to it progressing in the near future. In the meantime, I will be having conversations with both local authorities to see if we could provide accommodation in the interim by purchasing a property in either county. That would alleviate the need for these people to travel to strange communities in order to start their recovery. I thank the Minister of State for her positive response.