Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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293. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of domestic abuse incidents reported to An Garda Síochána in each of the past five years and to date in 2026, in tabular form. [38572/26]

Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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294. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of incidents of coercive control recorded by An Garda Síochána in each year since coercive control became a criminal offence in 2019, in tabular form. [38573/26]

Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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295. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of domestic abuse incidents reported to An Garda Síochána which involved a child in each of the past five years and to date in 2026, in tabular form. [38574/26]

Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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296. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of arrests made arising from domestic abuse incidents in each of the past five years and to date in 2026, in tabular form. [38575/26]

Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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297. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of Garda members assigned to specialist domestic abuse and protective services units in each Garda region, in tabular form. [38576/26]

Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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298. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of Garda members who have received specialist training in the investigation of coercive control and domestic abuse in each of the past five years, in tabular form. [38577/26]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 293 to 298, inclusive, together.

I have sought the information requested by the Deputy from An Garda Síochána, however it has not been made available in time.

I will contact the Deputy directly once this information has been received.

Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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299. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the average waiting time for applications for protection orders, barring orders and safety orders in the District Courts in each court district, in tabular form. [38578/26]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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Management of the courts and operational matters are the responsibility of the Courts Service, which is independent in exercising its functions under the Courts Service Act 1998 and given the separation of powers in the Constitution.

The Courts Service has a dedicated email address for the provision of information to members of the Houses of the Oireachtas: oireachtasenquiries@courts.ie. To be of assistance, I have referred the Deputy's question regarding average waiting times to the Courts Service for direct reply.

Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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300. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality whether her Department has undertaken any review, audit or assessment of the effectiveness of coercive control legislation since its commencement in 2019. [38579/26]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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Combatting all forms of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence, and ensuring that victims and survivors are fully supported, remain absolute priorities for this Government.

These commitments underpin the Third National Strategy on DSGBV and a key element of achieving the Strategy’s aims is through robust legislation.

The offence of coercive control, newly provided for under section 39 of the Domestic Violence Act 2018, recognises and criminalises patterns of psychological and emotional abuse within intimate relationships. A person convicted of this offence is liable to receive a fine or face imprisonment for up to five years.

The Domestic Violence Act 2018 was commenced on 1 January 2019. In July 2019, my Department published a post-enactment report on the Act, which was laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas.

The report updated on progress achieved regarding the implementation of the Act, including on the creation of the new offence of coercive control.

The report is available on the website of the Houses of the Oireachtas: opac.oireachtas.ie/AWData/Library3/JUQdoclaid160719_111304.pdf

My Department keeps the operation of this, and all legislation, under review to ensure that it is achieving its intended purpose.

Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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303. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality whether the Government has undertaken any assessment of the impact of housing costs and homelessness risk on victims seeking to leave abusive relationships. [38582/26]

Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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304. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality whether any interdepartmental strategy is being developed to address the intersection between domestic abuse, housing insecurity and financial abuse. [38591/26]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 303 and 304 together.

This Government is absolutely committed to combatting domestic, sexual and gender-based violence (DSGBV) in all its forms, recognising the significant intersection between domestic, sexual and gender-based violence, housing insecurity and financial abuse, including the barriers can create for victims seeking to leave abusive relationships.

Zero Tolerance: the Third National Strategy on Domestic, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence 2022–2026, was published in June 2022, setting out a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach to combatting DSGBV. Government departments, state agencies, NGO partners, and DSGBV services work collaboratively to deliver on the Strategy, which is structured around the four pillars of the Istanbul Convention–Protection, Prevention, Prosecution and Policy Co-ordination. In 2024, Cuan was established as a dedicated statutory agency, with responsibilities including coordinating and monitoring actions under the Zero Tolerance Strategy.

The Strategy acknowledges that domestic or intimate partner violence can have a particularly significant role to play in victims’ experiences of housing insecurity. Violence from an intimate partner is consistently reported as a primary contributor to women’s homelessness and aims in response to enable victim-survivors to rapidly access and live in safe, accessible short and long-term accommodation as a priority.

Three implementation plans have been published to support and guide delivery of the Strategy. In March, I was pleased to publish the progress report for 2025, which highlights developments across key priority areas, including improving access to justice, advancing the National Emergency Domestic Violence Accommodation Plan, and progressing legislative reform. I have directed that work will shortly begin to develop the Fourth National Strategy on DSGBV, which will both maintain and build upon key achievements, actions, priorities, and learnings from the Zero Tolerance Strategy.

In addition, my Department engages with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and other relevant Departments through a number of interdepartmental structures and working groups, including in the context of the Child and Family Homelessness Action Plan, together with the Homelessness Prevention Framework, and will continue to work collaboratively with partners in the sector to strengthen supports and protections for victims and survivors.