Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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303. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if he will allocate funding to a service (details supplied) in County Donegal through Tusla, the Child and Family Agency; if not, the reason; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2876/16]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, has statutory responsibility for the care and protection of victims of domestic, sexual and gender based violence. A network of 60 organisations provides services to victims of domestic, sexual and gender based violence in Ireland, including 20 services providing emergency refuge accommodation to women and children and 24 community-based domestic violence services.

The Agency has established a co-ordinated approach for provision of these services with an increased national budget of €20.6 million in 2016, a single line of accountability and greater support and oversight for service provision through appointment of a dedicated national team for domestic and sexual violence services.

Tusla's priorities in 2016 will focus on putting services to victims of domestic and sexual violence on a sustainable footing and implementing measures to address obligations under the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence (Istanbul Convention) and the Second National Strategy for Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence, which was recently published by the Minister for Justice and Equality.

Under current contractual arrangements with Tusla, the support of Donegal Women's Domestic Violence Service is available to women across Donegal, including Inishowen. I am advised by Tusla that initial contact can be made with the service through the Freefone 24-hour Helpline and that appointments are made by arrangement at a location that is convenient and safe for women who want to access the service.

At all times Tusla’s key priority is to ensure that the needs of victims of domestic and sexual violence, are being met in the best way possible, with a focus on addressing inequities in access to services and assuring availability of consistent and high quality services.