Lorraine Clifford-Lee (Fianna Fail)
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I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Browne, to the Chamber. I thank him for coming to discuss this very important matter which is the issue of the lack of women's refuge in north County Dublin.

North County Dublin has the fastest growing population in the country. I am very lucky to live there and represent the area but there is an acute need for a women's refuge and an awful lot of other services in the area. The services that are there are severely under pressure, or in many instances, are not actually available at all. That is the case with the women's refuge.

There is no women's refuge currently in north County Dublin. In the whole of Fingal, there is one women's refuge which is in Blanchardstown. They do great work there. It is heavily oversubscribed and Blanchardstown does not serve north Fingal and the areas I am talking about such as Balbriggan, Skerries, Rush, Lusk, Donabate, and the rural villages of the Naul, Ballyboughal and so on.

Unfortunately, there is an acute need. Tusla published a report in February 2022 which identified Balbriggan as a priority area for the provision of a nine-unit refuge with spaces for nine families. This is yet to be delivered. The mayor of Fingal, Howard Mahony, has been working tirelessly on this issue since his election to the mayoralty last summer. He has been working with the executive in Fingal County Council which is engaging with the stakeholders in the area but they need a commitment on funding and engagement from the Department of Justice to deliver this, and deliver it without further delay for the women and children of north County Dublin.

Unfortunately, there has been an increase in gender-based and domestic violence. I could stand here and list the women who have been murdered in their own homes and subjected to great violence within their own homes in recent years. That is a very real possibility for women and their children who have to flee their homes often with just the clothes on their back. They need to know there is some place local to them where they can go to get the support they need, a roof over their heads and then engage with services and perhaps get a barring or safety order in place or find alternative accommodation.

Currently, there is nothing in north County Dublin. There is no refuge there. There are very good services providing support for women in those situations but we actually need some place where women can live safely and comfortably with their children while other supports are being put in place for the family. It is a traumatic enough situation to have to flee one's home in such circumstances but to leave one's own locality to actually access a safe refuge is doubly traumatic for those women and their children.

Will the Minister of State engage proactively with the mayor, Councillor Howard Mahony, and the executive of Fingal County Council, to deliver a refuge in Balbriggan to serve the surrounding areas? While I am at it, even though Balbriggan was noted as a priority area, the town of Swords also needs a refuge. It is a town of 60,000 people, there is no refuge and there is a great need there. I know my colleague, Councillor Brigid Manton, has championed that since she was elected as well because she knows the acute need that is there in the town of Swords.

I ask that the Minister of State would give a commitment to the House today that his Department will fund the refuge and engage proactively with the mayor of Fingal, Howard Mahony, and the executive in Fingal County Council.

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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I thank Senator Clifford-Lee for raising this very important issue. I know the good work she has done for a considerable amount of time in this area.

The zero tolerance strategy on domestic, sexual and gender-based violence, which was published last June and runs to 2026, commits to doubling the number of refuge places within its lifetime. This will be the fastest ever expansion of refuge spaces and by the end of this strategy there will be more than 280 refuge spaces in the country.In addition, there will be delivery of more safe homes and step-down accommodation options. By the end of 2024, we expect to have delivered 24 refuge units in Wexford, Dundalk and Navan. I acknowledge the great work done by Wexford Women's Refuge and the Wexford Rape Crisis Centre in this area. Work is ongoing to finalise lead providers and sites for each of the other priority locations, with many already identified.

It is our intention that an additional 98 refuge units in priority locations will have been delivered by 2025 which, together with a further 19 additional and upgraded units delivered before the end of the strategy, will double the current number of refuge places. Balbriggan was identified as one of the priority locations and I understand that Aoibhneas women's and children's refuge is working with Tusla's domestic, sexual and gender-based violence services and Fingal County Council to advance this new refuge and secure a site in the area for the new facility.

In the meantime, the Housing Agency, which has helped Aoibhneas in identifying site options, is working with it on the design approach and on the funding proposal. Given the active participation of Aoibhneas and the collaboration already happening regarding the site and the design, I expect this project to move forward swiftly once a suitable site is secured with the assistance of the council. Aoibhneas women's and children's refuge currently runs a refuge in Coolock and provides domestic violence support services across north Dublin, including in the Balbriggan and wider Fingal area.

An implementation plan will be developed to take forward refuge developments in all of the priority areas identified. At the same time, work is ongoing on delivering more safe homes, which are usually separate units of supported emergency accommodation, such as an apartment or house at a community level, in order to meet the needs of those at low to medium risk of serious harm. An additional 12 safe homes were delivered in 2022, bringing the total to 32 nationwide. We plan to increase this to 50 by the end of this year.

We are continuing to work together with domestic violence organisations and applicant groups, through the Housing Agency, to provide assistance with capital funding applications, public procurement, and design and build processes. This approach will ensure we have the highest standard of refuge accommodation, delivered in the most efficient way. The zero tolerance strategy also commits to examining other options for victims of domestic violence, such as addressing barriers to remaining in the home if that is the preferred option.

Lorraine Clifford-Lee (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State for that response. I appreciate it. I know Fingal County Council is working with agencies to find the site and deliver this, and that the Housing Agency is linking in with it. I feel there is a role for the Department of Justice to co-ordinate this, in light of the domestic violence strategy. I am glad there will be extra spaces in Wexford, Dundalk and Navan delivered by the end of 2024. That is very important in the context of provision on the east coast because the population expansion is on the east coast.

However, I would be very disappointed if the space in Balbriggan was not delivered by that date as well. The fact that the Minister of State flagged those particular areas and the date of the end of 2024 would have me a little concerned that there will not be movement on the Balbriggan site and delivery of the spaces by then. I will continue to engage with the Minister of State, the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, the Housing Agency, Fingal County Council and my colleague, Howard Mahony, to ensure this refuge is prioritised and delivered, and a safe space for the women and children of north Fingal who are fleeing violence is provided.

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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I again thank the Senator for raising this very important issue around the need for refuge spaces for those fleeing domestic, sexual and gender-based violence. I note her good work to date on the matter and her continuing good work in the area.

It is our intention that every person who needs a refuge space will have access to one. In line with key recommendations of the audit of responsibility for domestic, sexual and gender-based violence, the Government agreed to establish a dedicated statutory agency that will be charged with co-ordinating the Government's response in this important area. This new agency will be tasked with ensuring the delivery of excellent services for victims of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence and with driving and co-ordinating the implementation of the third national strategy across Government.

The new agency will also be tasked with overseeing and supporting the provision of refuge accommodation for victims, as well as setting standards for services and refuges and monitoring adherence. It will bring the dedicated and expert focus that is needed to tackle this very serious and complex societal issue. The agency is a whole-of-government priority and it is intended to have it up and running by next January.

Last week, the Minister for Justice secured Government approval for the drafting of the legislation to set up the agency. By putting in place the correct structures to deliver additional refuge accommodation, including this new statutory agency, we will accelerate the number of additional spaces that can be opened each year.

As I said, Balbriggan has been identified as a priority location.The Aoibhneas women's and children's refuge is working with Tusla, domestic, sexual and gender-based violence services, and with Fingal County Council. Any supports needed will be provided to ensure refuge accommodation is provided as quickly as possible.

Lorraine Clifford-Lee (Fianna Fail)
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I ask the Minister of State for clarification that the new agency he referred to, to be set up by the Minister will fall under the remit of the Department of Justice.

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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The agency will come within the remit of the Department but it is essential that this agency will have cross-government support and involvement so that it is not purely a Department of Justice concern.