Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

203. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality to outline the details of all supports in place for victims of rape, sexual assault and childhood sexual abuse to support them from when they make an initial complaint, through the judicial process, and up to and including the release of offenders; the process in place for making victims aware of these supports; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18032/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Ensuring that all victims of sexual violence receive the supports that they need is a priority for me as Minister for Justice.

Under Budget 2025, €3,574,000 was allocated to promote and assist the development of support services to victims of crime. This funding enables the provision of services supporting victims at different stages of the criminal justice system. This includes the provision of support, information and advice on the rights of victims, court accompaniment services, specialised counselling services, helplines and accompaniment to Garda interviews for those who have experienced such horrific incidents.

Cuan, which was established in January 2024, is the statutory agency, under the aegis of my Department, dedicated to tackling domestic, sexual and gender-based violence (DSGBV). Cuan funds 78 organisations across Ireland. This includes national organisations such as Women’s Aid and Dublin Rape Crisis Centre, and organisations that provide a range of specialised supports such as One in Four.

Significant work has also been undertaken under the Supporting a Victims Journey plan, to reform the system to ensure that a full range of supports are available for vulnerable victims from the moment they report an offence, through the investigation, trial and beyond.

Some of the key actions delivered under that plan include:

• work to advance the training for all personnel who come into contact with vulnerable victims,
• the establishment of a programme in the University of Limerick to train people to become accredited intermediaries and the roll-out of a pilot programme in the Courts Service,
• the provision of increased funding by the Department for organisations supporting victims of crime to address gaps in services provided by type and location,
• the publication of an updated Victims Charter and a supporting website which sets out all the information a victim of crime might need. The Charter also has a dedicated section for victims of sexual violence,
• the establishment of a Victims Forum in 2022 that brings together civic society organisations and State organisations to discuss matters such as best practices and innovation in service delivery to victims of crime and improved co-ordination and consistency of service to victims of crime.

Reforming our criminal justice system to make it more victim-centred is a key focus of my Department’s work, and this includes legislative reform. Last year, the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Human Trafficking) Act 2024 was enacted which strengthens protections for victims of sexual offences during the trial process. The 2024 Act, ensures anonymity for victims in all trials for sexual offences; extends the right to separate legal representation to victims of sexual assault if they are being questioned about their previous sexual history; ensures character evidence at a sentencing hearing for a person convicted of a sexual offence must be made on oath or by affidavit; and ensures people subject to military law who commit sexual offences in this jurisdiction will be dealt with by An Garda Síochána and the civilian courts rather than by courts-martial.

The Sex Offenders (Amendment) Act 2023 strengthened our already robust system for monitoring sex offenders on release from prison and provides for changes to the notification requirements for sex offenders. Other provisions include providing powers to An Garda Síochána to take fingerprints, palm-prints and photographs to confirm the identity of the person. The Act also provides for electronic tagging and a power for a court to explicitly prohibit a convicted sex offender from working with children or vulnerable people. Under section 16 of the 2001 Act, where An Garda Síochána believe that a convicted offender poses a serious and imminent risk to the public, an application can also be made to the courts for a Sex Offender Order. A Sex Offender Order can prohibit the offender from doing anything the Court considers necessary, in order to ensure that the public is protected from serious harm. The Act also provides that a Court can impose conditions on a convicted sex offender as part of their post-release supervision, where a judge has included this as part of sentencing.

In addition, Sex Offender Risk Assessment and Management (SORAM) supports enhanced levels of co-operation and co-ordination between key statutory organisations managing risks posed to the community and safeguarding the welfare of children. The Garda National Protective Services Bureau has a dedicated unit, the Sex Offender Management and Intelligence Unit, which has oversight and monitoring responsibility at national level for the management of registered sex offenders who are subject to notification requirements.

The victim of a crime for which a person has been convicted is also entitled to certain information about the management of the perpetrators sentence while they are in the custody of the Irish Prison Service (IPS). To provide this information directly to victims, the Irish Prison Service operates a dedicated Victim Liaison Office (VLO). Registration with this VLO is voluntary, individual victims and their family can choose if they wish to be kept informed by the IPS of any significant development in the management of the perpetrator’s sentence. This must always be the case as receiving such information automatically could cause upset and distress for some victims. At the same time, the IPS works to ensure that the VLO system is visible and accessible to those who want to participate in it.

Raising awareness of the supports and services available to victims of crime is a key priority for my Department, to ensure that those affected know where to turn and feel empowered to seek help. In April 2023, my Department launched Victims of Crime – Know Your Rights’ - a national campaign to raise awareness of the rights provided in the Victims of Crime Act 2017 and in the Victims Charter. The campaign directs people to the VictimsCharter.ie website and has a particular emphasis on reaching minority and harder-to-reach communities.

In February of this year, Cuan launched the Hardest Stories campaign. This campaign is primarily to raise awareness of domestic and sexual violence within our society, encourage victims/survivors not to suffer DSGBV in silence & reassure them that telling their story will empower them. The Always Here campaign was launched by my Department in 2023 to inform victims of domestic or sexual violence that they are not alone and that support services from State agencies and the voluntary sector across the country are available to help. Cuan is now responsible for this campaign, which will run this year, and is responsible for the further development of DSGBV awareness raising campaigns.

In relation to child victims, Barnahus is a child-friendly, interdisciplinary and multiagency model of service for children who have been sexually abused. There are currently two Barnahus in Ireland. Barnahus West is based in Galway and serves the Northwest, West and Midwest of Ireland. Barnahus South serves Cork and Kerry. The model establishes a set of principles and operational protocols to facilitate the different agencies working together in a consistent and child centered way. It works on the basis that the child and family have all their meetings with the various professionals in the Barnahus. The Barnahus has a small permanent team based onsite, with other professionals visiting as required.

Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

204. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the financial supports available to victims of crime and witnesses to cover the costs of travel to court and for accommodation where they are required to be available to attend court for a period of days; the annual budgetary allocation for these supports; if these supports are available in a consistent manner across the state; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18033/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Ensuring that all victims receive the supports that they need is a priority for me as Minister for Justice.

Under Budget 2025, €3,574,000 was allocated to promote and assist the development of support services to victims of crime. This funding enables the provision of services supporting victims at different stages of the criminal justice system. This includes the provision of support, information and advice on the rights of victims, court accompaniment services, specialised counselling services, helplines and accompaniment to Garda interviews for those who have experienced such horrific incidents.

In relation to the specific information sought by the Deputy, I have requested the information from the Garda authorities. I will contact the Deputy directly once the information is provided.