Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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1942. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of times gardaí were called to the scenes of domestic violence, in each county, in each of the past five years. [41141/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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Combatting all forms of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence is a central priority for me as Minister and for this government.

'Zero Tolerance,' the Third National Strategy on Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence (DSGBV), set out an ambitious five-year programme of reform to achieve a society which does not accept DSGBV or the attitudes which underpin these crimes.

An Garda Síochána prioritise and proactively respond to incidents of domestic abuse. The nationwide roll out of Divisional Protective Service Units (DPSUs) ensures that when victims of crimes such as domestic abuse and sexual violence present to Gardaí, they are met with a consistently high standard of specialist, sensitive, professional and expert assistance.

I can confirm that there is a DPSU in every Garda Division.

An Garda Síochána have provided the table at the link below, which details the total number of Domestic Abuse Calls reported from 2020 to the beginning of June 2025, by Garda Division.

While this data demonstrates a steady increase in the reports to An Garda Síochána, year-on-year and any increase in reports of domestic violence is deeply concerning, there has been significant work undertaken to support victims of DSGBV to come forward and report these matters, and seek the support they have a right to expect.

A key objective of the whole of Government, Zero Tolerance strategy is to encourage victims of domestic and sexual violence to come forward and report the heinous crimes being committed against them. Measures to achieve this have included the Always Here Campaign, a public awareness campaign developed by my department in collaboration with frontline DSGBV services and the Hardest Stories Campaign which has been developed by Cuan in collaboration with my department, that ran most recently in February 2025.

These campaigns, coupled with the establishment of Cuan the DSGBV Agency in 2024, and the DPSU provision by An Garda Síochána are key to addressing the historical and significant under-reporting of such crimes, by supporting victims to come forward and providing services to these victims.

My Department is continuing to work with agencies in the criminal justice system to strengthen trust and confidence in the system, so that victims will feel more assured in coming forward to report what has happened to them and have access to supports related to the nature of the harm they have experienced.