I thank Deputy Burke for raising this matter. Zero tolerance is the Government's third national strategy on domestic, sexual and gender-based violence. It was published by my colleague, the Minister, Deputy McEntee, last year. The strategy has been widely accepted by stakeholders as an ambitious five-year programme for reform to achieve a society which simply does not accept domestic, sexual and gender-based violence or the attitudes that underpin it.
The strategy is built on the four pillars of the Istanbul Convention. Its accompanying implementation plan, which runs to the end of this year, sets out 144 detailed actions which are assigned to my Department and other agencies and Departments across government. Subsequent implementation plans will be published annually during the lifetime of the strategy.
I am pleased to report that progress is being made and I will publish regular updates on each of the 144 actions. A key part of implementation will be the establishment of a new statutory domestic, sexual and gender-based violence agency which will ensure a permanent and dedicated focus on this important area of work. Its establishment will ensure that there is one agency whose full-time job and entire focus is the delivery of this strategy and the zero-tolerance culture in our country.
Last week, my Department led a co-design workshop with civil society partners, which I was delighted to attend. Within a month, I will seek the Government's approval for the draft general scheme of the Bill to establish the agency. Following approval, the Bill will be drafted as a matter of priority and the new agency will, subject to the Oireachtas passing the legislation, be established by 1 January next year.
As part of the strategy, the Government is committed to doubling the number of refuge places over the lifetime of the strategy, bringing it to 280. In order to achieve this ambitious goal, we are working with all stakeholders to put in place the necessary structures and supports to accelerate the delivery of additional refuge accommodation year on year.
Work undertaken to implement the strategy has already prepared the way for this, including through the development of agreed processes and approaches that will support organisations to deliver the highest standard of refuge accommodation in the most efficient and holistic way. There has also been significant progress on the legislative front, which I will have a chance to come back to in my next answer.