Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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35. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the way the capital assistance scheme has been used to support the provision of emergency accommodation to victims of domestic violence; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55150/21]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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While the responsibility for the development and provision of services to support victims of domestic violence rests with my colleague the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, my Department provides capital funding to local authorities via the Capital Assistance Scheme (CAS) which is available to Approved Housing Bodies in the development of new refuges. 

Through CAS, local organisations have had funding support for refuges in recent years in Galway City, Louth and South Dublin and proposals from a number of other areas are at various stages of advancement. CAS funding remains available to support refuges and in that regard, I expect that the publication by Tusla soon of its Review of the provision of Accommodation for Victims of Domestic Violence, will assist in developing a plan to address refuge provision and related matters.  The recommendations of this review are to be considered as part of the third National Strategy on Domestic, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence that is currently being developed under the leadership of the Minister for Justice.