Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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496. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she has initiated the provision of additional social protections for victims of domestic violence as committed to in the programme for Government. [34685/20]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The programme for government includes a commitment to investigate provision of paid leave and social protection to victims of domestic violence.

The provision of statutory leave is not a matter for my Department. Family leave, force majeure leave and other similar provisions fall under the Department of Justice, which is also the lead department for the policy response to issues related to domestic violence.

Since August, I have introduced changes to the rent supplement scheme to make it more easily accessible to victims of domestic violence. This seeks to ensure that victims of domestic violence are not prevented from leaving their home because of financial or accommodation difficulties.

I remain committed to supporting victims of domestic violence and will continue to review this particular aspect of my Department’s services for further improvement in line with the Programme for Government.

I trust this clarifies matters for the Deputy.