Nessa Cosgrove (Labour)

Many speakers, on both the Opposition and Government sides, have spoken passionately about this Bill. I completely agree with Senator Ruane that there is an opportunity for the Government to step back and take out the amendment. As Senator Nicole Ryan said, the proposal is for only three months of free travel. Senator Ruane noted that when she first read the Bill, she thought it would surely pass. When we found out today there would be a timed amendment, none of us could believe it. The Bill proposes a very simple solution that can completely change people's lives.

I am very happy to be part of this very brave and liberal legislative proposal. It offers a thoughtful and practical way to address an issue about which there is so much talk at the moment.We know the rate. My colleague Senator Harmon said there had been 65,000 calls to An Garda Síochána last year regarding domestic violence. That is 200 people a week. We know the Bill is limited by the three months but it is significant in its ambition and in the financial and psychological impact it will have on survivors and their families. The Government should pause and think. We all should. We can see the support here. It is okay to say that we made a mistake. We do not need to have a timed amendment. Why have it? As a new Senator, I do not understand the idea behind timed amendments. All they do is delay things. We have raised this before. I represent a rural constituency. Sligo and Leitrim are counties where there are no women's refuges. That is being worked on. The availability of Local Link services has transformed rural Ireland. The Minister knows this but providing a three-month pass to someone is a no-brainer. Financial control is a major part of domestic violence and coercive control. Access to money means freedom from that control. This is a very basic measure that, if introduced, could save people's lives, similar to what Senator Dee Ryan said earlier. I hope the Minister will reconsider the amendment he has introduced today.