Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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583. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if her attention has been drawn to a report by the Group of Experts on Action against Violence against Women and Domestic Violence that was published by the Istanbul Convention Action Against Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence which states parental alienation (details supplied) is being used to minimise evidence of domestic violence in the courts; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49491/22]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy may know, in June I published Zero Tolerance, our new Strategy to combat all forms of domestic, sexual and gender based violence and to ensure we fully support those who are victims of it.

It is an ambitious five-year programme of reform to achieve a society which does not accept DSGBV or the attitudes which underpin it.

The €363 million strategy is built on the four pillars of the Istanbul Convention framework and the accompanying implementation plan contains 144 detailed actions for implementation this year and next.

I am aware of the report which the Deputy refers to. On the issue of parental alienation, my department launched a public consultation at the end of May, which was open for four weeks. The consultation focussed on people’s experiences of parental alienation, their views on the topic, its impact on them and how it might be responded to in the future. My Department is currently working through the volume of responses received. To better inform further discussion on this complex topic, my Department also arranged for a separate strand of independent research on parental alienation to be carried out this year. I am pleased to say that a draft report has been received by the Department and is now being reviewed.It is expected that both the research and the public consultation will create a deeper understanding of the issue, and inform my Department’s consideration of policy and law in this area. I expect a report outlining the outcome of the research and consultation process and any arising recommendations, towards the end of this year.

Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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584. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the next steps that she will take in the context of her adoption of the Dublin Declaration. [49496/22]

Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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585. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the supports that are available to persons from her Department in the context of the recent adoption of the Dublin Declaration (details supplied) [49498/22]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 584 and 585 together.

As the Deputy may be aware, the Dublin Declaration is a statement of intent by the Council of Europe member states on the importance of taking measures to prevent domestic, sexual and gender-based violence (DSGBV). It is a clear statement of our collective commitment to preventing such heinous crimes. A substantial majority of Council of Europe member states, 38 in total, have aligned with the Declaration, giving it a clear political mandate within the Council of Europe.

The commitments outlined in the Declaration are fully in line with the actions of Zero Tolerance, our Third National Strategy to combat Domestic, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence, which I launched in June.

This new plan has a particular focus on prevention, and on ensuring victims are better supported. It is an ambitious five-year programme of reform to achieve a society which does not accept DSGBV, or the attitudes which underpin these crimes.

This is a whole-of-society plan of action for Ireland which is structured on the four pillars of the Istanbul convention – prevention, protection, prosecution and policy co-ordination. The accompanying implementation plan contains 144 detailed actions for implementation this year and next. Implementation will be ensured by strong oversight and coordination at central Government level.

Under Budget 2023 I have secured an extra €9m, which represents a 22pc increase, for combatting domestic, sexual and gender based violence. This record level of funding will also support the implementation of this new action plan.

This additional €9 million includes increased funding of €7m for organisations funded by TUSLA to address acute demands in existing services throughout the country, and for investment in new services as outlined in the new Strategy.

This funding also strengthens the nationwide supports and services for victims of crime (€920,000), provides for targeted awareness raising campaigns (€750,000) and for work to establish the new DSGBV statutory agency (€450,000) which will become operational in January 2024. The new agency will ensure we deliver excellent services, supports and accommodation and set world class standards in this area.