Mark Ward (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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174. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of females who were assessed for domestic, sexual or gender-based violence programmes; and the number of females who commenced and completed such programmes in each of the years 2016 to 2019 and to date in 2020, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38919/20]

Mark Ward (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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175. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of males who were assessed for domestic, sexual and gender-based violence programmes; the number of males who commenced and completed such programmes in each of the years 2016 to 2019 and to date in 2020, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38920/20]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 174 and 175 together.

My Department is currently supporting and overseeing the implementation of a uniform national domestic violence intervention programme under the Second National Strategy for the Prevention of Domestic, Sexual and Gender- based Violence, 2016-2021.The roll out of this programme, entitled the Choices Programme, began in 2017.

The Choices programme is delivered across the State by the following three organisations working with men who engage in domestic abuse and provide support to their partners/ex-partners; MOVE Ireland, Men’s Development Network (MEND) and the North East Domestic Violence Intervention Programme (NEDVIP).

Prior to this, these organisations were running separate types of domestic abuse intervention programmes locally with funding support provided by the Department of Justice.

With regard to the specific Information requested by the Deputy, as I mentioned, the Choices programme began in 2017 and the following tables demonstrate the number of males who were assessed and commenced programmes in each of the organisations respectively for the years 2017-2020.

These organisations do not provide intervention programmes to females.

- Figures**for 2020 are an estimate at this stage.

- Very***few men have completed the programme due to the disruption in providing the group programme this year.

- 2017*was the first year in the rollout of Choices after Training had been completed and programmes began at different times over the course of 2017.

- 2020** due to Covid 19 Restrictions, much of the work was done by phone or other online app and therefore work was focused on safety rather than programme work so the number of completers is disproportionately low for this year and overall numbers estimated. Instead of men commenced for 2020 the number given is men engaging in the programme at some level from waiting list, to Assessment, to one-to-one work.

- MEND***does not deliver programmes for partners but rather partners are offered support while the man is on the programme and for 3 months after he has left the programme through completion, dropout or deselection. So, the number for partners is the number who engaged with the programme and is on a voluntary basis.

- Figure*for 2020 not complete