Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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183. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality to provide an update on the previous commitments to deliver domestic violence refuges in each county, including Monaghan and Cavan; the number of refuge spaces now provided in the State; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39827/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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Tackling Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence (DSGBV) is a central priority for me as Minister for Justice.

The Zero Tolerance Strategy to address DSGBV is ambitious and is structured around the four pillars of the Istanbul Convention – Protection, Prevention, Prosecution and Policy Co-ordination.

One of the overarching goals of this Strategy is ensuring that everyone who needs a safe space can access one.

Cuan, the DSGBV agency, has been operational since January 2024, and is responsible for coordinating all Government actions set out in the Zero Tolerance strategy.

It works in partnership with the local front-line service providers, local authorities, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and the Housing Agency and has streamlined processes in order to accelerate the delivery of domestic violence refuges.

While currently almost three quarters of the population in the State is within 30 minutes of a refuge location, I am aware of the need to improve on this, and to ensure that services are accessible to everyone living in rural areas.

Achieving this, including through the completion of a National Services Development Plan, is a core objective of Cuan’s Corporate Plan 2025-2027, which was published at the end of last year.

A key priority for both Cuan and I, is the development of a domestic violence refuge in the Cavan and Monaghan region. As this question relates to an update on work being carried out by Cuan, I have referred it to the agency for direct response.