Martin Browne (Tipperary, Sinn Fein)
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406. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to provide an update on additional funding sources to enable the office of the Ombudsman for Children to contribute to the working of the new strategy combatting domestic and gender-based violence; the reason for the delay in providing the funding; if consideration is being given to reach an arrangement with the Ombudsman for Children; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23918/24]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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My Department values the key role that the Ombudsman for Children plays in holding public bodies to account and upholding the rights of children. However, difficult choices are required every year in the allocation of funding across a range of key policy and service areas including many areas that the Ombudsman for Children himself has identified as meriting attention and funding.

The Department has consistently responded to requests from the Ombudsman for Children's Office (OCO) for funding with increased allocations. The OCO’s 2024 budget allocation included a 10.5% increase on 2023, in addition to increases of 11.6% for 2022 and 16.9% in 2021. The Department accepts that these increases did not include the specific provision for a proposed oversight role outlined in the implementation plan for DSGBV strategy requested by the OCO. It is prepared to continue working with the Department of Justice, the author of the DSGBV strategy and implementation plan, and the OCO on how the Ombudsman for Children can contribute to the working of the strategy.