Kathleen Funchion (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein)
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231. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if five additional family accommodation units were opened in County Dublin in early 2018; if five additional family units in County Galway will be opened in September 2018; and if five units will be opened in County Clare by the end of 2018 in view of her statement in the media (details supplied). [27275/18]

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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Under the Child and Family Agency Act, 2013, Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, has statutory responsibility for the provision of care and protection to victims of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence.

Tusla allocates funding to emergency refuges and a range of community based services to provide services to adults and children affected by domestic violence. This is currently undertaken through service level arrangements with external organisations in receipt of funding from Tusla. Tusla does not provide capital funding for these services.

This year funding of €23.8m was allocated to Domestic, Sexual and Gender Based Violence services, an increase of €1.7m over 2017.

With regard to the additional accommodation to which the Deputy refers there have been a number of delays that are outside the control of both Tusla and the service provider organisations involved.

Tusla has advised me of the current status of the three areas to which the Deputy's query relates:  

1. The County Dublin Domestic Violence Service which was awarded funding under the Capital Assistance Scheme, operated by the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government, provides emergency accommodation units for victims and their children was due to open five new family units of accommodation early in 2018. There has been a delay in the transaction to acquire an identified property, which it is hoped will be resolved shortly. The identified building requires some work, and it is hoped that the units should come on stream in Q4, 2018.  

2. Clare Haven Services, based in Ennis, Co. Clare plans to provide a new development with additional independent units of emergency accommodation. These new units will replace the current six refuge units that rely on shared communal areas. The project received approval for funding under the Capital Assistance Scheme. Since the original plan was approved there have been ongoing discussions locally about structure and ownership of the proposed development to achieve the most effective service model. However, the development will not be completed before 2020. Tusla will remain engaged with the service provider to support this development.  

3. COPE Galway which currently runs Waterside House refuge in Galway, has plans to provide nine independent family units of emergency accommodation in Galway. These independent units will replace the existing six refuge units that rely on shared communal facilities. COPE Galway has started the tendering process to complete the building work, through the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government and the Local Authority. The closing date for receipt of tenders is mid-July. The original completion target for this project was 2018. However, due to the building location and the history of the site, the process to deliver these units has been very lengthy. COPE Galway expects that construction will start in Quarter 1, 2019.

Tusla will continue to engage with service providers and other stakeholders to support and enable the provision of additional emergency domestic violence accommodation in areas of need.