Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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1671. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs her plans for further investment or the provision of additional resources for a service (details supplied); her further plans for a women's refuge for either counties Cavan and Monaghan to cope with the demand for services; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1563/17]

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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Tusla, the Child and Family Agency allocates funding for a network of 60 organisations that provide services to victims of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence in Ireland. This includes 20 services that provide some 145 family units of emergency refuge accommodation to women and children.

In 2016, the dedicated national budget for domestic, sexual and gender-based services was €20.6m. This funding level will increase this year and will allow for the continuing implementation of actions in the second National Strategy for Domestic, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence and the Council of Europe Convention on the Prevention of Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence (the Istanbul Convention).

The precise level of funding to be allocated to the domestic violence services in 2017 is being finalised by Tusla, having regard to the totality of funding, which will exceed €700m in Exchequer support, an increase of €37m over 2016. Following consideration of, and commencement of the process to implement Tusla's Business Plan for 2017, service providers, including domestic violence refuges centres, will be informed of their budget for 2017.

Currently, there are no refuges located in counties Cavan and Monaghan. However, there are three refuge services located in counties Louth and Meath which are responsible for providing services to women and families across the wider North East area.

A range of supports are required in order to reduce the need for women and families to use emergency accommodation and to ensure that families disrupted by domestic violence can be supported to resume safe family living beyond refuge type accommodation, within the shortest possible time frames. The important role that local domestic violence services, including the organisation in question, play in prevention and supporting families outside of refuge is recognised and valued.

Tusla recognises that there are challenges to be addressed in ensuring that there is an appropriate configuration of spaces available to all women and children who require emergency refuge accommodation, and that those with the greatest need for safe accommodation, are prioritised appropriately.

As part of its commissioning process, Tusla is looking at levels of need and will work with the organisation in question and all key stakeholders to ensure that appropriate responses are in place for those affected by domestic violence in counties Cavan and Monaghan.