Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 22 Apr 1997

Vol. 478 No. 1

Written Answers. - Women's Refuges.

Mary Wallace

Question:

93 Miss M. Wallace asked the Minister for Health the progress, if any, his Department has made in relation to the four key recommendations of the January 1995 policy document launched by the National Federation of Women's Refuges, in particular the recommendations that the Government devise a national policy on the provision of refuges for abused women and their children and establish procedures for greater co-operation between agencies who deal with the victims of the violence, that the Government provide 100 per cent funding for all existing refuges and for the establishment of a new refuge in every county where there is none already in existence, that all refuges are professionally staffed and training is provided in the specialised services they provide, and a national education programme be implemented to challenge society's attitude to violence against women; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10780/97]

Minister of State at the Department of Health (Mr. Currie)

To date the role of the health services for victims of domestic violence has been to support refuges for women, and children, subjected to violence in the home and to provide crisis support and counselling. It has been recognised that the issue of domestic violence is extremely complex and cannot be tackled by any one Government Department in isolation. Accordingly, the Government decided to assign responsibility for co-ordinating policy on women and violence across Government Departments to the Office of the Tánaiste. The office established a Working Group on Violence Against Women chaired by the Minister of State, Deputy Eithne Fitzgerald, in October 1996 on which both my Department and the health boards are represented.The working group is due to report to Government shortly. The issues outlined in the Deputy's question are all examined in detail in this report.