Joe Higgins (Dublin West, Socialist Party)
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Question 351: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he will take steps to develop and adopt a national strategy on violence against women that would provide a framework for monitoring and evaluating the progress of measures combating violence against women. [27532/05]

Joe Higgins (Dublin West, Socialist Party)
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Question 352: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he will replace the national steering committee on violence against women with a statutory independent body with responsibility for monitoring and progressing the implementation of measures combating violence against women and for developing and monitoring national research and data collection, guidelines, policies, training and awareness-raising. [27533/05]

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 351 and 352 together.

As the Deputy will be aware, the national steering committee on violence against women, or NSC, which is chaired by a Minister of State in my Department, was established in 1997 following the publication of the report of the task force on violence against women. A wide range of relevant non-governmental organisations are represented on the committee, along with the key State bodies with a role in this field. The committee's remit is to provide a forum for the co-ordination of responses to violence against women, and a great deal has been achieved since its inception.

Earlier this year my Department, in conjunction with the NSC, commissioned the preparation of a new strategic plan for the committee to guide its work over the next five to ten years, taking into account the recommendations contained in the task force report and the progress achieved to date, as well as issues which have arisen since the publication of the report. That project has involved extensive consultation with interested parties, as well as an evaluation of the working methods and structures of the committee, with a view to enhancing their effectiveness further. The strategic plan is expected to be completed early next year and will be broadly disseminated in advance of implementation.