Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein)
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324. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if he can provide an update on the establishment of the new statutory body to oversee the State response to domestic- and gender-based violence within his Department. [8002/23]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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As you know, Zero Tolerance, the Government’s Third National Strategy on Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence (DSGBV) was published by Minister McEntee last June.

One of the key actions under the Strategy is the establishment of the statutory based Agency referred to by the Deputy. This new Agency will have a specific mandate to drive the implementation of the Strategy across Government, bringing the expertise and focus required to tackle this complex social issue.

As was the case with the development of the Strategy itself, my Department has been working closely with specialist and community-based support organisations to design the makeup and functions of this new Agency.

An initial high-level meeting was held with a number of national NGOs last December to progress co-design of the functional model. And just last week my Department led a co-design workshop with a wider representation from DSGBV services and NGOs to continue that work, with the overarching question of what are the essential structures and capabilities required to ensure that the new Agency can deliver.

In the coming weeks I will seek the Government's approval for the draft General Scheme of the Bill to establish the Agency.

Following approval, the Bill will be drafted as a matter of priority with the intention that the Agency will be established in January next year.