Patricia Stephenson (Social Democrats)

I am delighted to hear about the progress being made on the strategy for removing offenders from the home. That is a really positive step for women, particularly in situations where there are children. I would love to get an update on that as it goes through the Department.

The Minister of State's response focused mainly on emergency housing. In my contribution I was trying to underscore that this is a systemic issue. The point of a refuge is that it is short term. Women are finding themselves in hotels and refuges with their children. They are only supposed to be in those refuges for a short time. We need a commitment to long-term housing, particularly at a local authority level. I ask the Minister of State to respond to my question about having such women as a priority category on local housing lists. Long-term solutions are needed and these short-term fixes are not substantial enough.

I cannot say I welcome the €11.5 million additional funding for domestic, sexual and gender-based violence given that almost €20 million has been allocated for greyhound racing. That figure is allocated every year and it is almost double what is allocated for domestic, sexual and gender-based violence. For many women across the country, that really underscores how the Government prioritises tackling violence against women and girls. Those figures are quite shocking when they are looked at together.