Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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293. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of additional domestic violence refuge places provided to date in 2023; and the counties within which they are located in tabular form. [63133/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will be aware the Government will establish a statutory agency with a dedicated focus on Domestic Sexual and Gender-Based Violence.

The agency will have a specific mandate to drive the implementation of the Zero Tolerance: Third National Strategy on Domestic, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence across Government, bringing the expertise and focus required to tackle this complex social issue. Pending establishment of the Agency, responsibility for the allocation of funding for domestic violence services continues to be channelled through Tusla.

As this will continue to be the case until services formally transfer to the new DSGBV agency, I have referred the question posed by the Deputy to Tusla for direct reply.

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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294. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the progress that has been made in implementing the recommendations of the Review of the Provision of Accommodation for Victims of Domestic Violence. [63132/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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In June, the Government launched Zero Tolerance, the third national strategy on domestic, sexual and gender based violence.

One of the overarching goals of the Strategy is to ensure that everyone who needs a refuge space will get one. We will double the number of refuge spaces over the lifetime of the strategy, bringing it to 280.

The Tusla review of accommodation services for victims of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence identified priority locations where between 50 and 60 new refuge places are needed. Further analysis undertaken identified 12 locations nationwide where the delivery of 98 family refuge spaces would have the most impact if prioritised.

In the initial phase of this work, we expect to have delivered 24 places in Wexford, Dundalk and Navan by 2024. The delivery of additional safe homes is also a key part of the response and it is expected to increase the number of safe homes by 15 this year.

In addition, by putting in place the correct structures to deliver additional refuge accommodation, including the development of a new statutory agency, we will accelerate the number of additional spaces that can be opened each year. Already, work undertaken implementing the Strategy has prepared the way for this, including a very significant increase in funding under Budget 2023.

An interdepartmental group is developing and progressing agreed processes and approaches to ensure we have the highest standard of refuge accommodation, delivered in the most efficient way.

Just last month, Minister McEntee was in Wexford to turn the sod on construction of the new Refuge there.

Developments in Navan and Dundalk are continuing to make progress at design and planning stages, while developments in the other priority locations are mainly focused on establishing local stakeholders and lead organisations and on site selection.