Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

183. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if she will review the current national strategy on domestic, sexual and gender-based violence programmes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42294/20]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The response to Domestic, Sexual Violence and Gender-based Violence (DSGBV) is a cross Departmental and multi-agency issue. Policy is coordinated by the Department of Justice. Tusla, the Child and Family Agency has statutory responsibility under the Child and Family Agency Act 2013 for the care and protection of victims of DSGBV.  

I am pleased that my Department has been able to allocate additional funding of €4.7 million to Tusla to support DSGBV services across the country in 2021. A total of €30 million will be made available by DCEDIY to Tusla to fund DSGBV services. This includes a €2.7 million increase in core funding, bringing core service provision to €28 million, with an additional €2 million of one-off contingency funding being made available to help services cope with the ongoing effects of COVID-19. This increase in funding reflects my personal commitment on this issue. I am hopeful that these additional resources will enable services to continue their valuable supports for victims and their families at a very vulnerable time in their lives.

It is important to note that not all funding to this sector issues via my Department.  The Department of Justice allocates funding to combat domestic, sexual and gender-based violence and support victims of crime, including victims of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence. Many voluntary organisations in the DSGBV sector have also received capital funding via the Capital Assistance Scheme (CAS), which is administered by local authorities on behalf of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.

While funding will be crucial to our success, it is imperative that we have the right structures in place to respond as effectively as possible to DSGBV. Under the Programme for Government, we have committed to undertaking an audit of responsibility for DSGBV across Departments and State agencies. The procurement process to secure the expertise to conduct this audit is under way, in conjunction with my colleague the Minister for Justice. We expect that the audit will be completed early next year, and the Government will act on the basis of that audit.

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

184. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality further to Parliamentary Question No. 174 of 24 November 2020, the reason there are no intervention programmes for females; her views on whether the failure to provide such programmes for women in need of the service is discriminatory in view of the fact that it is nearly impossible to access such supports elsewhere; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42295/20]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Deputy may be aware that my Department has agreed with the Central Statistics Office that it will conduct a major National Sexual Violence Prevalence Study, which will look in detail at the experience of women and men victims of sexual violence and abuse in Ireland, with repeat large scale surveys every decade. This will be a key element in ensuring that we develop an informed understanding of domestic and sexual violence that takes into account the range and indices of the types of violence and abuse that occur; including where females are perpetrators.

The overwhelming majority of sexual offences are committed by males and that is why the perpetrator programmes currently funded by the Department concentrate on male offenders, but if applications are made to my Department to fund female perpetrator programmes, they will certainly be considered.

To ensure we have the right framework in place that will enable the Government to respond effectively and comprehensively to these matters, the Programme for Government commitment to conduct an audit of how responsibility for Domestic, Sexual and Gender based Violence (DSGBV) is segmented across different government agencies will be undertaken by an external consultant with meaningful involvement from relevant NGOs and service providers, as well as input from Departments and agencies.

The terms of reference for the audit have been finalised, and very shortly the Department will commence a procurement process to engage an independent person to undertake the audit. It is intended that the audit will be completed within 3 months of commissioning.