Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent)
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246. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the way in which the money from cuts to funding of the Rape Crisis Network of Ireland in 2015 has been reallocated; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40294/16]

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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Funding from Tusla, the Child and Family Agency to Rape Crisis Network Ireland ceased during 2015. The background to this decision was the subject of Oireachtas interest and debate last year.

Domestic and sexual violence services are being developed by Tusla as a specialist national service with a dedicated national budget and a single line of accountability. This is designed to ensure that Tusla achieves better outcomes for children and adults who are survivors of abuse.

Tusla's priority has been on supporting front line services and putting in place measures to meet the Agency's obligations under the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combatting Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence (the Istanbul Convention)and the Second National Strategy on Domestic, Sexual and Gender Based Violence services.

I attach a high priority to the provision of enhanced services to victims of domestic and sexual violence. This has been formally communicated in the 2017 Performance Statement which I issued to Tusla, and which sets out key policy priorities and financial parameters for the coming year.

The national budget for domestic and sexual violence services increased in 2016 to €20.6m and is being further increased in 2017 arising from the provision of increased overall funding of €37.0m to Tusla. The precise level of increase in funding to the domestic and sexual violence sector will be set out by Tusla in its 2017 Business Plan, which I expect to receive later this month.

I am pleased to have been in a position to secure additional resources to support Tusla in this important work and my Department will closely monitor progress in effecting further service enhancement in the sector in the coming year.