Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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582. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of protection orders, safety orders and barring orders granted by the courts by court area in 2019 and 2020, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5579/21]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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Under the provisions of the Courts Service Act 1998, management of the courts is the responsibility of the Courts Service which is independent in its functions. However, in order to be of assistance to the Deputy, I have had enquiries made regarding the number of protection orders, safety orders and barring orders granted by the courts in 2019 and 2020.

I am informed by the Courts Service that these statistics are compiled on an annual basis for the Courts Service Annual Report.  The 2019 Annual Report, which was published last July, is available on the Courts Service website at:

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However, the 2020 figures will not be available until May, when they are compiled in preparation for the 2020 Annual Report later this year. The Court Service have undertaken to forward a combined table for both years by court area as soon as it becomes available.

From the outset of the pandemic, the Courts Service has prioritised urgent matters including domestic violence applications and this will continue.

Tackling domestic abuse and supporting victims is a key priority for my Department and for the Government as a whole.  This is true in terms of commitments and additional resources made available during the pandemic as well working collectively to put in place a comprehensive range of supports and services to meet the needs of victims of domestic abuse. Last March, in partnership with the NGO sector, we launched the ‘Still Here’ awareness campaign, to ensure those at risk of domestic abuse throughout the pandemic are aware that supports remain available regardless of the level of restrictions in place. In October, I published Supporting A Victims Journey - A plan to help victims and vulnerable witnesses in sexual violence cases, which is a detailed roadmap for the implementation of the recommendations contained in the O'Malley review. A key action of the plan is to increase public awareness of the rights of victims of crime, and of the supports and services available to them. This will be done through the promotion of the Victims Charter, including by the redesign of the Victims Charter website, which will be launched shortly.

The Government is also committed to ensuring adequate resources for the courts in order to maintain access to justice for all citizens. This commitment was reinforced recently with the highest ever budgetary allocation for the Justice sector including €158.8 million for the Courts Service. This included €8 million for the new Courts Modernisation Programme along with an additional provision of €5.7m for COVID measures to enable court sittings take place in a socially distanced and safe environment. A significant priority for my Department and the Courts Service in the years ahead will be to significantly invest in digital technology, to transform the experience of practioners and of court users.