Willie Penrose (Westmeath, Labour)
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Question 613: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the steps which are been taken by his Department to ensure that the appropriate procedures are put in place in order to enable persons who are subject to domestic violence in their relationships, to escape therefrom, and in particular the financial help and assistance given to such persons to enable them to secure accommodation, either through a local authority or a voluntary housing association; if he is satisfied with the number of refuges available for victims of domestic violence; if additional moneys will be provided to increase the number of such refuges; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10251/06]

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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The Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government is responsible for the provision of refuge and other crisis accommodation to women made homeless by domestic violence and the Department of Health and Children is responsible for the provision of front-line services to victims. A subcommittee of the national steering committee, made up of representatives from the above Departments, as well as other Departments with a role in this field, has examined the funding and co-ordination arrangements for the sector generally and its report will be considered by the Departments concerned. The allocation of resources will remain a matter for each Department, in the context of its own Estimates process.

My Department chairs and provides the secretariat to the national steering committee on violence against women. The committee's remit is to provide a forum for the co-ordination of responses to violence against women and to develop a strategy and action plan, which will build on the work achieved to date and chart progress for the future.

The membership of the national steering committee comprises representatives of the five Government Departments and the key State bodies with a role in the area of violence against women and representatives of the relevant non-governmental organisations. The preparation of the new strategy has involved extensive consultation with interested parties as well as an evaluation of the working methods and structures of the steering committee, with a view to further enhancing its effectiveness and laying down a work plan for the future. The strategic plan should be completed this year and it is expected to include a long-term strategy to raise awareness of violence against women.

In addition to ensuring the necessary responses from the civil and criminal justice system, my Department is also responsible for preventative and awareness measures, including a number of intervention programmes for perpetrators of domestic violence. Last year the Department funded the evaluation of two such perpetrator programmes and the recommendations of the evaluation are currently being implemented.