Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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44. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the status of the implementation of the Istanbul Convention; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11098/17]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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This Government is totally committed to tackling domestic violence, as am I as Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality.

The Programme for Government commits to full implementation of the Istanbul Convention. This Convention is a significant legal instrument in tackling violence against women and domestic violence. Many of the actions required by provisions in the Istanbul Convention are being implemented on a daily basis under current legislation and administrative practice. The 18 outstanding actions necessary to ratify the Istanbul Convention were published in the multi-annual action Plan which was published when Ireland signed the Convention on 5th November 2015. These actions are also contained in the Second National Strategy on Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence 2016-2021, published in January, 2016. It is intended that they will be delivered by the first quarter of 2018.

Some of the key actions required for ratification of Istanbul include the enactment of the Domestic Violence Bill. This will extend access to interim barring orders and give judges power to refer perpetrators to programmes both of which are required under the Istanbul Convention. The enactment of the Criminal Justice (Victims of Crime) Bill will also support ratification.

The overall position in respect of the 18 actions required for ratification at the end of June 2016 was:

i) 8 actions were on target

ii) 2 actions were completed (establishment of a Strategic Oversight Committee and the removal of reasonable chastisement as a common law offence)

iii) 4 actions are delayed less than six months (the Domestic Violence Bill covers 3 of these actions, the other action is the Victims Bill)

iv) 4 actions have yet to commence (2 of these actions do not arise until the Convention is ratified - amendment of Mutual Assistance Act and the provision of information by the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission; one action is scheduled to commence in quarter two 2017 - annual report to be placed in Oireachtas library and one action has a timescale of quarter 4 2017 - legislation for extraterritorial offences).

A review of implementation of the Strategy for the year ended December 2016 is currently being finalised.

The Deputy may also wish to note I launched a national awareness campaign as part of the Second National Strategy in November 2016. It is intended that it will run for a period of 6 years up to 2021, subject to the continued availability of the necessary funding. The overall aim of the campaign is to increase the awareness of domestic and sexual violence, to bring about a change in long established societal behaviours and attitudes and to activate bystanders with the aim of decreasing and preventing this violence. It will recognise that women and men are victims of such crimes.