Tom Clonan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Before I address the Bill, I congratulate the Minister and her Department on the increase in number of people applying for An Garda Síochána. Some people made light of the fact there were older candidates. I believe they bring life experience to the role. It is a good news story and the Minister deserves recognition for that. That initiative was swiftly acted on and pushed through. Obviously, the success of it is evident in the increase in the number. I congratulate the Minister and the Department on that.

I am proud to support Senator Martin on this initiative. Before we get into the substance of the Bill, the statistics on violence in the home - domestic violence - are stark. I was going through the numbers provided by Women's Aid. Essentially, on the hour, every hour, in Ireland, 24-7, 365 days a year, a woman is assaulted in the home. Of the women assaulted at that level, 20 are subjected to physical assaults in the home, with between ten and 15 women being sexually assaulted on a daily basis in the family home. It is an extraordinary phenomenon.

My familiarity with gender-based violence flowed from research I undertook into the Defence Forces some 25 years ago. I would not have been aware of the level of violence against women and children in the home. I know that men are also victims of domestic violence but women are, by a huge factor, more greatly impacted in this way. I was struck by the number of violent deaths of women. Since 1996, 265 women died violently in Ireland.Of those, 166 were murdered in their own homes, in the sanctity of the home. When we consider the upcoming referendums on the definition of the home and household and women's place in the home, it has to be said that the home is not a safe place for thousands of Irish women. It is an extraordinarily stark picture.

I commend Senator Martin on bringing forward this Bill. I thank him and the Minister for the briefing in the audiovisual room today. As a layperson, it was very interesting to hear from the senior counsel he brought in and Sarah Benson about the practicalities, the practical application and the benefit this amendment would bring to the legislation. I look forward to hearing Senator Ward's contribution. I know he is well versed in criminal law. I may have to go to him for advice at some point; I am not sure.