Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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1194. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the counties that do not have emergency refuge accommodation for victims of domestic violence and their children, in tabular form. [13288/19]

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, has responsibility for the provision of funding, co-ordination and support to 21 organisations which provide emergency refuge and emergency non-refuge accommodation to victims of domestic violence and their children. In addition to this, Tusla maintains a domestic violence refuge in South Dublin, which has been temporarily closed for essential refurbishment works. This facility is expected to re-open as a domestic violence refuge in Quarter 2 this year. In total, 155 family units of emergency accommodation are provided - 145 in emergency domestic violence refuges and 10 in emergency non-refuge accommodation.

Subject to availability of accommodation, women from counties without emergency accommodation may avail of accommodation in other parts of the country.

The table below sets out the counties which currently do not have emergency domestic violence refuge accommodation.

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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1195. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of adult emergency refuge accommodation beds available for victims of domestic violence. [13289/19]

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, has responsibility for the provision of funding, co-ordination and support to 21 organisations which provide emergency refuge and emergency non-refuge accommodation to victims of domestic violence and their children. In addition to this, Tusla maintains a domestic violence refuge in South Dublin, which has been temporarily closed for essential refurbishment works. This facility is expected to re-open as a domestic violence refuge in Quarter 2 this year. In total, 155 family units of emergency accommodation are provided - 145 in emergency domestic violence refuges and 10 in emergency non-refuge accommodation.

A family unit in emergency accommodation is generally used to accommodate a single family, i.e. one woman and her accompanying children and dependent adults. Services may reconfigure room arrangements to suit the number, age and gender of family members. At times, two unaccompanied women may be asked to share a family unit.

It is important that the needs of victims of domestic violence are met in the best way possible, with due attention to the quality, accessibility, and outcome of services. I am committed to supporting Tusla in meeting the needs of individuals who experience domestic violence.

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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1196. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of child emergency refuge accommodation beds available for victims of domestic violence. [13290/19]

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

Tusla-funded organisations provide a total of 155 family units of emergency domestic violence accommodation to victims of domestic violence. Tusla funds the provision of 145 spaces in emergency refuge accommodation and 10 in emergency non-refuge accommodation. Rathmines Women's Refuge, which houses nine accommodation units, has been temporarily closed and is due to reopen as a domestic violence refuge in Quarter 2, 2019.

The 155 family units nationally vary in size from single bedded units accommodating a woman without children to units which are able to accommodate up to eight people. The average size of a family unit is 4 bedded. A number of factors must be considered in relation to the total national bed capacity to accommodate children as:

- children are not accommodated in emergency domestic violence family units unless they are accompanied by an adult victim,

- in most cases a family unit will be used to accommodate a single family. However, two unaccompanied women may on occasion be asked to share a two-bedded unit,

- units may on occasion operate over capacity to facilitate a particular family size,

- units may be flexible in terms of bed capacity and may have a sofa bed or be able to accommodate a temporary bed or a child’s cot when required,

- services may reconfigure room arrangements to suit the number, age and gender of families members who present.

- the number of children in a family, on a particular occasion, in a particular location may not always align with the number of beds in an available unit.

It is important that the needs of victims of domestic violence are met in the best way possible, with due attention to the quality, accessibility, and outcome of services. I am committed to supporting Tusla in meeting the needs of individuals who experience domestic violence.

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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1197. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs her plans to introduce the necessary legislative or other measures to provide for the setting up of appropriate, easily accessible domestic violence refuge accommodation in sufficient numbers to provide safe accommodation for and to reach out proactively to victims, especially women and their children, as committed to when ratifying the Istanbul Convention. [13291/19]

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.

I am pleased that Ireland ratified the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combatting Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (the Istanbul Convention) on the 8 March, 2019 - International Women's Day.

Since taking up office, in 2016, as Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, I have prioritised the development of Domestic, Sexual and Gender Based Violence (DSGBV) services. This has been reflected in the level of additional funding provided to Tusla for these services which has increased from €22.1 million in 2017 to €25.3 million in 2019.

Additional funding in 2019 will support the development of enhanced domestic, sexual and gender based violence services, including continued implementation of the Istanbul Convention and the Second National Strategy on Domestic, Sexual and Gender Based Violence (2016 – 2021). I will be meeting with some key stakeholders and Tusla in early April to consider priorities for 2019 funding.

As part of its planning to develop services, Tusla has commenced the process to review domestic violence refuge accommodation provision to meet its obligations under the Istanbul Convention.

Tusla has advised that it has commenced a review of emergency domestic violence accommodation in the Dublin area, which will be completed by Quarter 4, 2019. I expect Tusla to publish the report in due course.

Tusla will continue to work with service providers throughout the country in the provision of resources to victims of domestic violence, including emergency refuge accommodation, non-refuge accommodation, and community supports.