Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Question 147: To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality his policy on tackling domestic violence and supporting victims of domestic violence; the number of refuge centres in place for persons at risk of domestic violence; the location of these centres; the level of support they receive from him; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29072/11]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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The Government is very committed to tackling the scourge of domestic violence in this country. It is a very complex issue and a broad range of action is being taken across the country by many state and non-state organisations to prevent and respond effectively to such violence. Cosc, the National Office for the Prevention of Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence, an executive office within my Department, has the key responsibility to ensure the delivery of a well co-ordinated 'whole of government' response by the organisations concerned to domestic violence.

Central to the Government's policy on tackling domestic violence is the National Strategy on Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence 2010 - 2014, which was developed by Cosc, in consultation with a broad range of partner organisations, and is available on Cosc's website (www.cosc.ie). The strategy is a statement of the Government's priority actions to address domestic violence up to the end of 2014. The main focus of the strategy is, on the one hand, to prevent the violence concerned and, on the other, to respond effectively to the violence. A Strategy Oversight Committee meets twice-yearly to review progress on the implementation of the strategy. The Committee, which is chaired by the Secretary General of my Department, includes senior officials from key government departments and state agencies responsible for implementing actions in the strategy. In addition progress on the implementation of the strategy is driven and monitored by Cosc on an ongoing basis.

I am informed by the Department of Health that every HSE region in Ireland has at least one refuge providing crisis emergency accommodation for victims of domestic violence. All but one (located in the Western region) are accessible on a 24 hour basis. The locations of refuges in each region are as follows: HSE South (6 refuges) - Kilkenny, Kerry, Tipperary, Cork, Waterford, Wexford; HSE West (5 refuges) - Limerick, Galway, Clare, Donegal, Mayo; Dublin North East (5 refuges) - Coolock, Blanchardstown, Dundalk, Drogheda, Meath; Dublin Mid Leinster (4 refuges) - Bray, Athlone, Rathmines, Tallaght.

As regards support for domestic violence refuges provided by my Department, this year Cosc, through its Local Awareness Raising Grant Scheme, provided funding to 8 refuges totalling just over €21,000. In 2010 the Commission for the Support of Victims of Crime, an independent body under the aegis of my Department, approved funding for 10 domestic violence refuges, mainly for the provision of a court accompaniment service. The funding involved came to a total of €207,345.

I am informed that state funding is also provided to domestic violence refuges by the HSE and by the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government. I understand that in 2010 the HSE provided €10.5m. in funding for domestic violence refuges. The same year the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government provided in excess €1.9m. towards the maintenance costs of domestic violence refuges. The equivalent figure for 2011, up to the end of September, is over €1.3m. I am also informed that in both years additional funding, in the region of 10% of the Department's funding, would have been provided by the relevant local authorities.

I would ask the Deputy to note that the information provided above is in relation to refuge centres, which is the subject of the Deputy's question, but that the State also provides resources to domestic violence support services which are not refuge centres.