Jack Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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Question 350: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if within his Department there is funding available to groups (details supplied) who are involved in the support mechanism for families and persons who suffer domestic violence in regard to the training of personnel to meet the demands placed on such groups and their personnel and whom due to lack of funding are not in a position to provide such funding themselves; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24209/07]

Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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As I informed the Deputy in my reply to Question Nos. 212 and 213 of Thursday, 28th June, 2007, my Department primarily funds perpetrator programmes and awareness raising campaigns. The budget for these activities has increased ten-fold over the past five years with €2.185 million available to my Department for 2007. Under the National Development Plan 2007-2013, my Department has been allocated €21m for the expansion of our supports to perpetrator programmes and awareness raising initiatives on domestic, sexual and gender-based violence.

In addition, the Deputy will be aware that the Commission for the Support of Victims of Crime was established by my Department to devise an appropriate framework for victims of crime and to disburse funding for victim support measures. Since 2005, the Commission has provided funding of close to €2.4m to approximately 40 groups involved in the support of victims of crime, including organisations supporting victims of domestic violence.

These initiatives complement the Government's existing funding for the care of victims of domestic violence delivered through the health and social services sector and through relevant non-governmental organizations. Funding to front-line services is provided primarily by the Department of Health and Children through the Health Service Executive. I understand that €16.5 million is allocated to the sector in 2007, an increase of over 30% on 2006 levels.