Written answers

Tuesday, 27 July 2021

Department of Justice and Equality

Domestic Violence

Photo of Jennifer Carroll MacNeillJennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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1349. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality her plans for the implementation of the recommendations of the Audit of the Domestic, Sexual and Gender Based Violence Infrastructure; the timeline for such implementation; the way it will be integrated into the Third National DSGBV strategy; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39592/21]

Photo of Heather HumphreysHeather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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For Minister of State Naughton

This Government is focused on tackling domestic, sexual and gender-based violence (DSGBV) and has already taken significant action in this regard.

The actions include:

- A €30m allocation by Minister O’Gorman to Tusla in 2021; the highest allocation for DSGBV services made to date. This includes €28m in core funding and €2m to address Covid-19 challenges.

- Tusla’s accommodation review, currently being finalised, which has examined the current level of refuge provision, evidence of demand for services and unmet need, and analysis of proximity to refuge by local communities.

- Additional supports provided throughout the pandemic, such as supporting victims of DSGBV access rent supplement via the Department of Social Protection

- Reforms to our Criminal Justice System such as the introduction of preliminary trial hearings

- More specialised training and extra staff in An Garda Síochána and the Director of Public Prosecutions

- Improved policing through Operation Faoiseamh and other proactive initiatives

- Funding of €4.1 million from the Department of Justice to support victims of crime and some €3 million for raising awareness of domestic, sexual and gender based violence.

- The development of paid domestic violence leave and benefit 

The independent audit into how responsibility for DSGBV is segmented across Government is an important piece of work that will, as the Deputy is aware, inform the design of the Third National Strategy on domestic sexual and gender-based violence. The Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Roderic O'Gorman, and I brought the audit to Government earlier this month.

The audit was commissioned by my Department under the Programme for Government. The terms of reference agreed placed significant emphasis on consulting with those doing vital work in this sector so that the report would reflect their views.

Minister O’Gorman and I agreed on foot of the audit that the Department of Justice will continue to have lead policy responsibility for DSGBV. Of course, we also recognise that the policy and operational responses of a number of other Ministers and agencies will continue to be crucial in meeting the Government’s commitment to tackle all forms of sexual, domestic and gender based violence.

We have also agreed that other recommendations in the audit should be considered as part of the development of the Third National Strategy on Domestic, Sexual and Gender Based Violence, which I am determined will be the most ambitious to date.

The audit outcome, the current review of accommodation needs undertaken by Tusla and the ongoing work of implementing Supporting a Victim's Journey, will all feed into the development of the next National Strategy on DSGBV.

The development of the Third National Strategy will be completed by the end of the year. My intention is to have a draft Strategy ready for a further round of public consultation in September.

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