Robbie Gallagher (Fianna Fail)
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Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCathaoirleach Gníomhach agus cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit go dtí an Teach seo inniu. The most recent statistics from the Garda on domestic violence reports show that in excess of 54,000 reports were made in 2023. That is an 8% increase on 2022. I will share a few other statistics I found truly shocking. It is estimated that one in three women has experienced psychological violence from a partner at some point in her life. One in four Irish women has experienced physical or sexual violence by a partner or non-partner from the age of 15. As a male, I am truly shocked, embarrassed and sickened by those statistics.The men of Ireland need to take a good, long hard look at themselves.

Unfortunately, when women find themselves in situations like this, they need refuge and protection from the State and need society to put an arm around them. Counties like Monaghan and Cavan are among the nine counties that do not have a dedicated refuge centre to cater for victims who find themselves in these shocking circumstances.

I would like to give a shout out to Siobhan McKenna from Tearmann, the domestic violence service which looked after women and children in Monaghan and Cavan for a long number of years. I would like to say a big thank you to her team for the services they have provided to the women and children of Cavan and Monaghan. I know Tearmann has now been subsumed into Safe Ireland. I wish the organisation well in that regard.

In a situation where women find themselves in need of refuge, it is important that is provided as close to their home as possible and, at the very least, in their own county where they and their families live, close to the services they avail of, be it schools or whatever, and where wraparound services can be provided to them. That is why it is vitally important that services are provided within a county, rather than there being one service for Monaghan and Cavan. A lot of people would share that view.

To those victims find themselves in that position, I say that the quicker we get to a point where we can provide the refuge, the better. I pay tribute to the housing sections of Monaghan and Cavan County Councils for the work they have done with the new organisation, Cuan, in conjunction with Safe Ireland in trying to identify sites in Monaghan and Cavan for refuge centres. Ultimately, we need to get to a point where the service will be available as quickly as possible.

I know work has taken place and I look forward to the contribution of the Minister of State. It is to be hoped he can give me a progress report on the current situation in respect of finding a site for victims of domestic and physical and sexual abuse in counties Cavan and Monaghan.

Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I thank Senator Gallagher for bringing this Commencement matter before the House. I am taking it on behalf of the Minister for Justice, Deputy Helen McEntee.

A central element of delivering on the zero tolerance goal of the third national strategy is the establishment of a statutory domestic, sexual and gender-based violence, DSGBV, agency, and the Minister, Deputy McEntee, was delighted to establish Cuan at the start of the year. Cuan has a specific mandate to drive the implementation of the strategy across Government, bringing the expertise and focus required to tackle this complex social issue. Under budget 2024, in excess of €7.9 million in additional funding for combatting DSGBV has been allocated. This represents a significant increase and will support the implementation of the zero tolerance plan, including through the new agency, which has an overall budget of €59 million for 2024.

The agency works in collaboration with the NGO and DSGBV services sectors to ensure that the best possible services are in place to meet the needs of victims and survivors, including safe and accessible accommodation. One of the key actions in the third national strategy is doubling the number of refuge spaces available during the lifetime of the strategy to 280. The 2024 implementation plan sets out the following deliverables for safe home and refuge delivery by quarter 4 of 2024 - to have active planning and engagement under way for the delivery of 150 additional family refuge units; the delivery of eight new family refuge units; ensuring 25 additional family refuge units are under construction; and increasing the number of safe homes by a further 35%.As well as delivering on supports such as accommodation, Cuan is tasked with putting in place a robust set of national service standards and governance arrangements to ensure adherence to the appropriate standards for these supports.

As the Deputy is aware, the Cavan-Monaghan region has been identified as a priority area for refuge development. Cuan has a dedicated team in place to support the development of domestic violence refuges. This team has been engaging with the local service provider in the Cavan-Monaghan area and has supported the organisation in terms of its capacity and governance. Following significant engagement, this local service provider will work with Safe Ireland, which will now lead out on the development of refuge accommodation in the Cavan-Monaghan area. As an identified priority area, every effort will be made to ensure that supports are put in place to achieve delivery of refuge and support services in Cavan and Monaghan as quickly as possible.

Robbie Gallagher (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State for his comprehensive response. I am delighted that his contribution mentioned the word “priority” and the fact Cavan and Monaghan were being prioritised for this refuge centre. That is a positive development and I am delighted the Department is very much behind it. I know work is actively taking place between Monaghan County Council and Cavan County Council to progress this matter. I am heartened by the fact the Minister of State is telling me that, as far as the Department is concerned, this issue will be prioritised. That is very welcome because the quicker we get this service, the better. Unfortunately, the service is much needed, which is a sad thing to say.

Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Senator. The core, overarching goal of the zero-tolerance strategy is to ensure that everyone who needs a refuge space will get one, and we continue to work towards that. The Senator will be aware of the Tearmann Domestic Violence Services based in Monaghan, and he mentioned Siobhán McKenna and her team, who provide the services in counties Cavan and Monaghan. That has now merged with Safe Ireland, which allows Safe Ireland to be the lead organisation taking forward this development in the Cavan-Monaghan area through engagement with local stakeholders. It is very important that Cuan is engaging with Safe Ireland, as well as with Cavan and Monaghan county councils, to provide the supports to progress this development as a matter of priority in 2024. I will certainly take the point the Senator has raised back to the Minister, Deputy McEntee, to ensure we have an update on this development and that both Monaghan and Cavan are supported with regard to accommodation provision.