Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein)
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158. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the breakdown of the funding her Department has provided to rape crisis support centres across the country since 2016, in tabular form; if there are plans to provide ring-fenced funding to these organisations; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [57955/21]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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Protecting and supporting victims of crime is a key priority for me as Minister for Justice and I would like to thank the Deputy for raising this issue.

As part of our work in this area, my Department operates a funding scheme for NGOs who provide specific supports to victims of crime, which of course includes victims of domestic, sexual and gender based violence. These services provide important information and support, including emotional support, court accompaniment, and accompaniment to Garda interviews, to sexual assault treatment units and referral to other services.

Under this scheme, organisations that provide support to victims of sexual crime, such as Rape Crisis Centres, can apply to receive funding. I should also say that many of the other organisations who receive funding from the Victims of Crime fund, such as Women’s Aid and the Crime Victim Helpline, also provide support to victims of sexual violence, even if that is not their primary remit.

Our commitment in this area is reflected in the additional funding that has been secured by my Department under Budget 2022 with a total of €4.9m allocated to Victims of Crime. This includes the retention of emergency COVID-19 funding of €400,000 to address the impact of the pandemic on support services and an additional €785,000 in direct supports to NGOs and for specific domestic violence intervention programmes. This will be important to ensure the momentum gained in supporting victims of domestic and sexual violence throughout the pandemic continues to grow.

In relation to the Deputy’s question on ring-fenced funding, as part of theSupporting a Victim's Journeyplan, my Department recently undertook a review of the Victims of Crime and Domestic, Sexual, Gender Based Violence funding in order to ensure that the grants we provide are as effective as possible in supporting victims of crime within criminal justice processes.

An important acknowledgment that has come out of the review is that that long-term funding commitments can offer organisations funding certainty and assist them to better plan for the future. Therefore, we are now in the process of developing multi-annual funding commitments for those organisations providing court accompaniment and other justice-related services.

As the Deputy is aware, Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, under the aegis of the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, has statutory responsibility for the care and protection of victims of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence (DSGBV). As such they are the primary funders of Rape Crisis Centres and other organisations that deliver frontline services to victims of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence.

The information provided in the table below provides details of organisations funded by my Department whose primaryremit is to support victims of sexual violence. However, as noted above, other organisations that my Department provides funding to also play a role in supporting victims of sexual violence through their work to support victims of crime more generally.

I would also like to let the Deputy know that a post reply to his question on 20 October, on domestic violence services, will issue at the same time as this reply. I thank the Deputy for his patience while we compiled the figures.

* The figures for 2021 reflect the annual commitment. Final payments will not be made until closer to end of year

Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein)
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159. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the financial supports her Department offers to an association (details supplied). [57956/21]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The Association referred to is a representative association that is primarily funded through membership dues.

I can confirm that my Department does not provide funding to the Association in question. The Association is provided with subventions for certain expenses from the Garda Vote representing a subvention in respect of post, telecommunications and accommodation costs originally provided directly by the State. As the Deputy will appreciate, the Garda Commissioner is the Accounting Officer for the Garda Vote and I have no role in this regard.

In addition to this direct subvention, there is also provision for the full time secondment of the General Secretary and Deputy General Secretary of the association, where these are Garda members, to work with the Association. In these circumstances, their salaries continue to be paid directly from the Garda Vote. Similarly, certain travel and subsistence expenses of Association members in connection with Association business are paid directly from the Garda Vote.

Details on the subventions paid in recent years is provided in the following table which has been supplied to me by the Garda authorities: