Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I am aware of the evaluation report by Safe Ireland of a pilot trial in the Courts of Remote Witness Hearings for ex-parte orders under the Domestic Violence Act 2018, conducted in Clonmel, Co. Tipperary, from May to December 2023. This pilot allowed users to submit ex-parte applications remotely from a secure and supportive environment provided by their local domestic violence service.

My Department has recently received a copy of the report, which my officials are reviewing. The report also has important relevance for the Family Justice Strategy, which contains an action to evaluate the impact of remote hearings to measure effectiveness, value, performance and user experience, and which falls to the Courts Service to lead on.

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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Any increase in incidents of domestic violence is intolerable.

This government has made combatting domestic, sexual and gender-based violence (DSGBV) a key priority and I am firmly committed to taking all possible action to ensure we have the most appropriate processes and procedures in place to do this.

I am also very conscious of how harmful the consequences of this type of violence can be for victims and I am continuing to work to make sure that those who experience these terrible crimes have access to the full range of supports and services they need.

As the Deputy will be aware, the reform of our criminal justice system was a key focus in the implementation of the recommendations of the O'Malley review as set out in ‘Supporting A Victims Journey’ and that our Zero Tolerance Strategy to combat Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence (DSGBV), builds on this reform.

Under ‘Zero Tolerance’ we have enacted stronger legislation to combat DSGBV, including by introducing new standalone offences for stalking and for non-fatal strangulation and by doubling the maximum sentence for assault causing harm.

I am also progressing legislative provisions which will:

- Extend victim anonymity to further categories of victims,

- Repeal provisions for sentences to be delivered in public, and

- Make provision for legal representation for victims in certain cases.

My Department has also run campaigns to raise awareness of what constitutes DSGBV, to assure victims of domestic abuse that help and support is always here, and to raise awareness more generally of the rights that victims of crime have and of the supports available.

Central to delivering on the ‘Zero Tolerance’ goal of the Third National Strategy was the establishment of Cuan, the statutory domestic, sexual and gender-based violence agency which I was delighted to formally open in February of this year.

The Agency has a mandate to drive the implementation of the strategy across Government, bringing the expertise and focus required to tackle this complex social issue. As such, I have referred the Deputy's question to Cuan for direct response.