Vol. 471 No. 3
11 Ms Keogh asked the Minister for Equality and Law Reform if he has examined the report of the Working Party on the Legal and Judicial Process for Victims of Sexual and Other Crimes of Violence against Women and Children; his views on whether the recommendations of the report should be implemented; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20626/96]
The report of the Working Party on the Legal and Judicial Process for Victims of Sexual and Other Crimes of Violence against Women and Children, launched by the National Women's Council of Ireland on 1 November, 1996, contains 84 recommendations, about six of which relate to issues which are within the area of responsibility of my Department. The vast majority of the recommendations are the responsibility of the Department of Justice.
I welcome the initiative taken by the council in establishing the working party. The many recommendation in the report must now be the subject of detailed examination by relevant Government Departments and agencies. In so far as certain of the recommendations are concerned, I should like to make the following points.
Certain Government initiatives have already been taken which, to some extent, overtake recommendations in the report. These include establishment on 15 October 1996 of an inter agency committee by the Tánaiste to develop a co-ordinated response and strategy on violence against women. Details were supplied to the House by the Tánaiste in reply to Question No. 98 of 25 September 1996; provision has been made in the Family Law Act, 1995 and Family Law (Divorce) Bill for supply to the courts on certain family law cases of social reports by the Probation and Welfare service and health boards; and provision has been made in the Domestic Violence Act, 1996 for granting by the courts of emergency orders to protect victims of domestic violence. That provision took into account recommendations in the Kilkenny incest report.
The recommendation in the working party's report regarding the relaxation, to a considerable degree, of the in camera rule needs to be assessed in the light of conclusions reached by the Law Reform Commission in its report on Family Courts about preserving the privacy of parties in family law proceedings. Their conclusion about the need for privacy was reached after a consulation paper had dealt in detail with the subject.
