Vincent P Martin (Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I seek leave from the House to introduce a Bill entitled the Domestic Violence (Amendment) (No. 3) Bill 2024, which proposes to amend the Domestic Violence Act 2018 in relation to the offence of coercive control, by extending the meaning assigned in section 39 of the Act to the term "relevant person" in order to broaden the definition of "relevant person". The current range of relationships covered by section 39(4) has been described by Dr. Fergus Ryan as "quite narrow" and is confined to relationships that can be described as "conjugal" or "romantic" in origin. It was reported in 2019 that 15% of domestic violence order applications are brought by parents against adult children. It is reasonable to conclude that other family relationships may give rise to domestic violence or coercive control issues. The purpose of the amendment is to permit those victims of coercive control, within the family setting, to seek the protection of the courts. I thank my fellow Senators for co-sponsoring the Bill.

I am seeking leave to have No. 7 taken before No. 1. At the appropriate time, I will formally propose that be done. It is my fifth Bill in this area. The Minister has been responsive but there is much more that could and should be done.

Senator Clonan has eloquently described the barbaric outrage which is happening in the Middle East. It is an absolute disgrace. It cannot and should not be tolerated - the horrific, ongoing outrage by the Israel Defence Forces in the Middle East. We have all done our part but more must be done. The Green Party was instrumental in securing a further €20 million to support UNRWA. The party canvassed hard and campaigned for Ireland's intervention in the International Court of Justice challenge by South Africa and the long overdue recognition of the State of Palestine. We were one of the first parties in Europe, in the heat of that barbaric slaughter of innocent Israelis, to say that there were underlying causes behind the attack, much as we unreservedly condemned the work of Hamas on that day, which was also atrocious. The next step has to be the enactment of the occupied territories Bill. It should be enacted.