Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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1102. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the steps he is taking in response to the Joint Committee on Justice Report on Women's Shelters and Domestic Abuse Refuges recommendation that funding for domestic violence services should be significantly increased (details supplied). [13717/23]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will be aware, in June of last year Government launched Zero Tolerance, the Third National Strategy on Domestic, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence.

Reflecting the Government’s commitment to make this the most ambitious Strategy to date, and in particular to make a real impact on the provision of refuge units and other associated support services, will require additional expenditure.

The overall cost of implementing the entire Strategy is estimated to be in the region of €363m.

In line with the priority which we are attaching to tackling domestic, sexual and gender based violence, we will double the number of refuge spaces over the lifetime of the strategy, bringing it to 280. This will be the fastest ever expansion of refuge spaces.

The government has agreed to prioritise the delivery of 98 refuge spaces in Sligo, Cavan/Monaghan, Cork City, North Cork, West Cork, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, Westmeath, Portlaoise, Balbriggan Longford, Carlow and Offaly. In the initial phase of this work, we expect to have delivered 24 places in Wexford, Dundalk and Navan in 2024.

This Strategy also sets a target to increase the number of Safe Homes. In 2022, an additional 12 Safe Homes were put in place with a further increase from 32 to 50 expected by the end of 2023.

In addition, and by putting in place the correct structures to deliver additional refuge accommodation, we will accelerate the number of refuge spaces that can be opened each year.

Already work undertaken implementing the Strategy has prepared the way for this, including through the development of agreed processes and approaches to ensure we have the highest standard of refuge accommodation, delivered in the most efficient way. In addition, under Budget 2023 a significant increase of almost €7 million was secured for organisations funded by Tusla to address acute service demands in existing services throughout the country, and for investment in new services as outlined in the Strategy.

The funding also strengthens the nationwide supports, and will help to maintain the momentum in implementing the ambitious goals set out in the national strategy.

In total, Tusla has been allocated €37m for funding DSGBV services.

Separate to this, my own Department has allocated €6.09m for measures to tackle DSGBV, including through awareness-raising campaigns and funding for perpetrator programmes and has also allocated an additional €5.8m in funding to promote and assist the development of specific support services for victims of crime within the criminal justice system, which includes victims of domestic and sexual crime.

Taken together with the ambitious plans for the development of refuge accommodation over the life of the Strategy, I am confident that the substantially increased investment in this critical area will make a real and lasting impact on the experience of victims of DSGBV.

As the Deputy will also be aware, a new statutory Domestic, Sexual and Gender Based Violence agency, under the aegis of the Department of Justice, is being established. The new Agency will ensure a permanent and dedicated focus on implementation and supports for Government and the sector in our work to combat DSGBV and support victims of these horrific crimes.

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 and I secured Government approval for legislation to establish the Agency in late February.