Written answers

Thursday, 4 May 2017

Department of Justice and Equality

Domestic Violence Policy

Photo of Jonathan O'BrienJonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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45. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality her plans to develop a multi-year public awareness strategy to target women experiencing domestic violence, perpetrators of domestic violence, the general public and statutory bodies. [21149/17]

Photo of Frances FitzgeraldFrances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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The Government and I as Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality are totally committed to tackling domestic violence. A national awareness campaign on domestic and sexual violence is a key action under the prevention pillar of the Second National Strategy on Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence 2016-2021. The Strategy is being monitored by a range of key state and non-governmental organisations working in the domestic and sexual violence sectors. In addition, an advisory group on the national awareness campaign includes state and non-governmental organisations working in the domestic and sexual violence sectors and campaign experts.

It is intended that the "What would you do?"campaign, which was launched in November 2016, will run for a period of 6 years up to 2021. The campaign recognises that women and men are victims of domestic and sexual violence. The first 3 years will focus on domestic violence to be followed by 3 years dealing with sexual violence but elements of each will be interwoven into each phase of the campaign.

The overall aim of the campaign is to increase the awareness of society of domestic and sexual violence, to bring abouta change in long established societal behaviours and attitudes and to activate bystanders with the aim of decreasing and preventing this violence. As a society we must speak out about domestic violence and leave perpetrators in no doubt that this violence will not be tolerated in our country. I believe that these are achievable goals.

"What would you do?" is designed to be a high impact media campaign to reach a national audience that features TV, cinema, radio, outdoor, social and digital advertising. The campaign aims to reduce the very real suffering of those affected through the actions and assistance of bystanders who have been moved to take action by this powerful campaign and the call to action directs people to search the comprehensive campaign website whatwouldyoudo.ie for information and advice on domestic violence for bystanders, victims and perpetrators.

In order to run the campaign, I secured funding of €950,000 for 2016 and also for 2017. In addition €200,000 has been awarded under the Dormant Accounts Fund for the years 2016-2017 to deliver the message of the national campaign at a local level through media partnerships with service providers across the country.

The creative and media agencies TBWA\Dublin and PHD Media Ireland were selected through a rigorous EU wide tender process to work with Cosc - the National Office for the Prevention of Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence to develop and implement the campaign.

Another key objective of the Second National Strategy is to hold perpetrators to account, and in this regard, a range of actions are incorporated in the Strategy which include the continued development of domestic violence perpetrator programmes during the lifetime of the Strategy.

Photo of Jonathan O'BrienJonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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46. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality her plans to develop a domestic violence emergency response system in the event of high-risk violent offenders that may ignore barring or protection orders. [21150/17]

Photo of Frances FitzgeraldFrances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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I have sought information from the Garda Síochána in relation to plans to develop a domestic violence emergency response system in relation to high risk violent offenders that may ignore barring or protection orders. I will revert to the Deputy upon receipt of this information.

Photo of Jonathan O'BrienJonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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47. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality her plans to introduce a system to ensure victims of domestic violence get priority access to legal advice and legal aid. [21151/17]

Photo of Frances FitzgeraldFrances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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I can inform the Deputy that the Legal Aid Board’s current policy is to ensure that victims of domestic violence receive a priority service at all times and have a minimal wait to receive legal advice and/or aid.

Among the matters for which the Board provides legal services are applications for domestic violence remedies (barring orders, safety orders, interim barring orders and protection orders). Applicants must make an application for legal services at a Legal Aid Board law centre. If the Board does not have a law centre solicitor available, a legal aid certificate will be granted to enable the applicant seek representation by a private solicitor.

In practice, nearly all eligible applicants for legal services in the Dublin Metropolitan District Court in connection with domestic violence remedies, are referred to the Dolphin House office and are referred to a private solicitor. Outside Dublin eligible applicants will be offered the next available priority appointment with a law centre solicitor. If a solicitor is not available, a legal aid certificate will be granted to enable the applicant seek representation by a private solicitor.

Photo of Jonathan O'BrienJonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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48. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the rehabilitation programmes currently in place for perpetrators of domestic violence offences. [21152/17]

Photo of Frances FitzgeraldFrances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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Domestic violence perpetrator programmes in Ireland are delivered through a combination of non-governmental organisations and the Probation Service. Currently programmes run in 14 locations with more programmes due to come on stream later this year.

The key aims of the programmes include the following:

- to reduce violent and controlling behaviour by perpetrators who undertake the programme resulting in improved safety and quality of life for their partners and their children.

- the development of a partnership approach between women's support service providers and those delivering perpetrator programmes.

- the operation, as appropriate, of a rehabilitation focused community alternative to prison.

Building on the work carried out in this area under the first National Strategy, the current National Strategy on Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence 2016-2021 includes actions to:

- put in place a uniform risk assessment system across programmes

- develop a national intervention programme.

- develop a group-work programme for partners and ex-partners of perpetrators on the programme.

Work is in train or has been completed in relation to many of these actions. For example, the risk assessment tool is now in place with programme staff trained in it. In conjunction with work on risk assessment, the implementation of an intervention model known as the Choices Programme, is being advanced with training in this model currently underway with the providers of the perpetrator programmes. The intention is that this intervention model will be rolled out as the uniform national programme to be delivered by all domestic violence perpetrator programmes during 2017/2018. Work on the delivery of a group programme for partners and ex-partners to augment all of this work will also be further progressed over the next 18 months.

Looking further ahead, it is anticipated that demand for placement on programmes will increase due to the proposed changes in the Domestic Violence Bill 2017 which provide that a court when making a safety order, a barring order or an emergency barring order may recommend that a respondent engage with a programme for perpetrators of domestic violence. In that context it is intended to establish further programmes over the lifetime of the National Strategy.

Photo of Jonathan O'BrienJonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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49. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality her plans to establish a local inter-agency on domestic violence for a review of services and ensure cross-Border co-operation in Border regions. [21153/17]

Photo of Frances FitzgeraldFrances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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Tusla has statutory responsibility for the provision of services to victims of domestic sexual and gender based violence and provides funding to some 60 organisations nationally to deliver a range of services to victims and others affected by these forms of violence.

I am informed by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs that six organisations in the border region providing services to victims of Domestic Violence receive funding from Tusla. A range of services are provided including community-based supports and emergency refuge service provision.

As part of its commissioning process Tusla is engaging with service provider organisations to review needs and service provision in areas where restructuring needs or gaps in service provision have been identified. Tusla is mindful of cross-border issues in addressing needs and service provision in border areas.

Photo of Jonathan O'BrienJonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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50. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality if the forthcoming national domestic violence strategy will have an all-Ireland dimension to co-ordinate responses to domestic and sexual violence. [21154/17]

Photo of Frances FitzgeraldFrances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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The Second National Strategy on Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence 2016-2021 was published in January 2016. The Programme for Partnership Government includes a commitment to its implementation. The strategy is a whole of Government response aimed at preventing and responding to domestic, sexual and gender-based violence in this jurisdiction. The key goals of the strategy are to prevent such violence, support victims and holding perpetrators to account. The strategy also contains those actions necessary for the ratification of the Istanbul Convention. Work on implementing the strategy's actions is ongoing.

Under the auspices of the Intergovernmental Agreement on Co-operation on Criminal Justice Matters, both my Department and the Department of Justice in Northern Ireland and the related criminal justice agencies in both jurisdictions discuss matters of mutual interest including strategies for more effective co-operation on criminal justice matters across the island of Ireland.

Under this framework, information sharing in the policy area of addressing domestic and sexual violence in both jurisdictions is facilitated, in particular, by the work of the Support for the Victims of Crime Advisory Group. This group comprises high-level representation from the relevant criminal justice agencies North and South who promote and co-ordinate practical, operational co-operation, the exchange of best practice and sharing of policy initiatives, which informs policy and operational developments in both jurisdictions. This close co-operation reflects the Government’s strong continuing commitment to cross-Border working for the mutual benefit for all the people of this island.

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