Martin Ferris (Kerry North, Sinn Fein)
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Question 166: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform his views on the assessment of COSC by the National Domestic Violence Intervention Agency that the office has not made the impact it promised and the Government have not displayed a commitment to effecting real change; and if he will take on board and roll-out the model for dealing with cases of domestic violence developed by the NDVIA without further unnecessary delay. [21064/08]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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The NDVIA is a non governmental organisation which has been campaigning for Government funding for its operations for some years past. Despite its title, the NDVIA does not actually exercise a nationwide co-ordination role on this matter.

Prior to the establishment of Cosc, the National Office for the Prevention of Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence, responsibility for matters related to domestic violence within the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform was assigned to Divisions with a wide number of other responsibilities. Responsibility for this area was further dispersed across a number of Government Departments and agencies. I can inform the Deputy that since its establishment by the Government on 25th June, 2007, Cosc has made significant progress on its remit. For the first time there is now a dedicated, resourced office at Government level with the key responsibility to ensure the delivery of a well co-ordinated "whole of Government" response to domestic, sexual and gender-based violence. The establishment of Cosc was a clear and unambiguous demonstration of the commitment of the Government to the improvement of measures to prevent and respond to these heinous crimes.

Less than twelve months since it began its work Cosc has succeeded in strengthening the partnership structures for the development of effective action. Through a series of projects working in close collaboration with government and non-governmental organisations, Cosc is laying a strong evidence-based foundation for a major priority, the first National Strategy on Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence.

The Deputy may wish to note that, following a negative recommendation by an external reviewer in addition to a thorough in-house examination, Cosc informed the NDVIA it could not support a proposal it had made for funding. Cosc is already working with all the key agencies mentioned in the NDVIA's proposal in addition to the broader stakeholders in the field. Cosc intends that the documents produced by the NDVIA will help inform that work and has advised the NDVIA of this.