Vol. 594 No. 4
5 Mr. J. O’Keeffe asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of the 496 positions which have been civilianised to date with reference to the civilianisation of Garda posts approved by the Government in 2001; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32605/04]
I refer the Deputy to the Minister's response to Question No. 428 of 17 November 2004. This response outlined that, in 2001 the Government approved an extensive programme of civilianisation to be introduced on a phased basis over several years, which includes the posts to which the Deputy referred. The programme provided for the civilianisation of these posts in the short, medium and long term, the transfer of the finance function from Garda district clerks to civilian staff, and the transfer of civilian staff from the Department to the Garda Síochána as civil servants of the State. In addition, of the 1,024 clerical, administrative and services posts filled by civilians in the Garda Síochána, some 112 are district finance officer positions occupied by staff officers.
The transfer of further civilian staff of the Department to the Garda Síochána is provided for in the Garda Síochána Bill 2004, which is before the Seanad, while the transfer of the finance function is almost complete. However, the next phase of the civilianisation programme, including the civilianisation of the posts to which the Deputy referred, must be rolled out within the confines of the Government decision of 4 December 2002 which placed a cap on numbers across the Civil Service and public service. As a matter of priority, the Department is undertaking a review with both the Department of Finance and Garda management as to how it will proceed further with Garda civilianisation in the context of the overall constraints of Civil Service and public service numbers.
The Government has increased the strength of the Garda Síochána from fewer than 10,800 in 1997 to 11,750 by June 2002. We have since increased the strength of the force to a historical high of more than 12,200. As the Deputy knows, the Government has approved the Minister's proposal to increase the strength of the Garda Síochána to 14,000 members on a phased basis in line with the commitment in this regard in An Agreed Programme for Government. On behalf of the Minister, I assure the House again that the additional gardaí will not be put on administrative duties and will deal directly with front line, operational, high-visibility policing. In each of the next three years, there will be an intake of almost 1,100 new recruits. The advertisement campaign for this first tranche of 1,100 recruits was launched on Thursday, 25 November 2004. The 496 positions to which the Deputy referred have not yet been civilianised for the reasons I have outlined.
I am glad to have this honest response from the Minister of State. We hear continuously about the shortage of gardaí on patrol. We also hear repeated promises from the Minister for Justice, Equality and Reform, Deputy McDowell, regarding his commitment to provide extra gardaí. However, we have 496 gardaí sitting behind desks despite the promise made by this Government more than four years ago that they would be replaced by civilian staff and freed up for patrol duties. Not one of those gardaí is on the street. What explanation or excuse has the Government for treating the public and the Garda Síochána so disgracefully in this regard?
More than four years ago, the Government accepted a report in which it was laid down and agreed that the concept behind the introduction of civilianisation was to allow for the relevant jobs to be done at a more economic cost and to free up gardaí for work more suited to their training and development while simultaneously increasing the operational capacity of the force. In the interim, resources have been wasted. A person can be trained to work behind a desk in a matter of weeks but it takes two years to train a garda.
It is an absolute indictment of the Government that four years after that decision was trumpeted — before an election, of course — not a single one of those desk jobs has been filled by a civilian.
Will the Government give a commitment which would allow those gardaí onto the streets now? I do not want to hear waffle about having gardaí on the streets in 2009. I am sick of hearing that from the Minister of State. I want gardaí on the streets by Christmas. It can be done if this decision is implemented. There are 500 extra gardaí waiting to go out on the streets if the Government and the Minister do as they committed to under the civilianisation programme.
All Departments, including the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, are bound by the Government decision of 3 December 2002 to place a cap on civil and public service numbers. Progress on this issue must take place within that framework.
It is not true to insinuate that little progress has been made in this area. In 2001, the Government approved an extensive programme of civilianisation which will be introduced on a phased basis over a number of years. For example, the transfer of the finance function from Garda district clerks to civilians and the subsequent upgrading of the new civilian role to staff officer are now almost complete following an internal competition. A total of 112 clerical officers throughout the Garda Síochána have been promoted to district finance officers at staff officer level. This has freed up Garda resources allowing gardaí to concentrate on policing matters. Some progress has been made on civilianisation. Nevertheless, the Government decision to cap civil and public service numbers had an effect on progress in this area in recent years.
I am not insinuating that little progress has been made. I am stating absolutely baldly that no progress has been made. With 500 gardaí sitting behind desks and waiting to go out and do their job, has the Government any intention — now, next week, next month or next year — of carrying out the commitment it gave four years ago that those gardaí would be on operational duty on the streets?
The Department is reviewing the position with the Department of Finance and Garda management as to how to proceed further with Garda civilianisation in connection with the 496 posts identified by the Deputy. Other transfers of civilian staff of the Department to the Garda Síochána are provided for in the Garda Síochána Bill currently before Seanad Éireann. The transfer of the finance function has been completed.
In fairness to Deputy O'Keeffe, I suggested that he was insinuating that little progress has been made but if he is saying it baldly and flatly I am happy to accept that. The next phase of the civilianisation programme, relating to the posts identified by the Deputy, will have to be rolled out within the confines of the Government decision of December 2002, which places an overall cap on numbers across the civil and public service.
The Government is handcuffing itself.
That cap is central to our budgetary success in recent times.
Let me hear no more bleating about shortage of gardaí. They are waiting to go on the streets.
There are plenty of extra workers in the health service who could switch to the Garda.
6 Mr. Costello asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if his attention has been drawn to the comments (details supplied); the number of Garda vehicles that do not have either airbags or side impact systems; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32606/04]
I would like to begin by expressing my sympathies and condolences and those of my colleague the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform to the families, friends and colleagues of the two members of the Garda Síochána who lost their lives in the tragic accident in Finglas four years ago. The two men who died paid the ultimate price in the service of their fellow citizens. Their sudden and untimely deaths are an example of the dangers each member of the Garda Síochána can face in the discharge of his or her daily duties. We should never forget this.
Deputy Costello has raised questions relating to comments made in the High Curt by Mr. Justice Johnson about the vehicles involved. I am informed by the Garda authorities that a requirement to include airbags as standard has been part of the technical specifications for the supply of Garda vehicles since 2000. The Garda authorities have informed the Minister that it is difficult to estimate the exact number of those vehicles purchased before 2000 that have no airbags or side impact protection as some manufacturers were supplying these items prior to their being specified by An Garda Síochána. The vast majority of these are not front line emergency vehicles but utility vehicles such as vans and the like.
Significant investment has taken place in the Garda fleet over the last few years. This has resulted in an increase in the size of the fleet from 1,898 vehicles at the end of 1997 to 2,076 vehicles at present. In addition, the Garda is currently arranging the purchase of a further 382 motor vehicles. Approximately 60 of these have already been received and are currently being fitted out. Other vehicles are arriving on a daily basis. This investment in new vehicles will maximise the safety of members of the Garda Síochána and members of the public in the variety of uses of Garda vehicles. Furthermore it will minimise maintenance costs and improve the re-sale value of Garda vehicles.
The issue of safety is always uppermost in the Garda authorities' deliberations on the purchase of vehicles for the Garda fleet. Considerable research has been conducted by the Garda Síochána into the use of various types of vehicles in police forces worldwide and the Minister has been informed that there is little difference in general vehicle policy throughout police forces no matter what part of the world they operate in.
There have been substantial improvements to vehicles, both in their design and construction, in recent years and in the level of equipment fitted to vehicles to bring them to operational standards. The conspicuity of Garda vehicles has been greatly improved both in quality and design. The technical specifications for the supply of vehicles for the Garda fleet have been rewritten to incorporate the highest possible safety standards for the particular class of vehicle. In particular, vehicles are specified with safety features such as ABS braking, driver and passenger airbags, power steering, central locking, electric windows, anti-shatter film to all glass which minimises the injury risk to occupants from shattered glass in the event of a collision and increased conspicuity. These items are specified for all vehicles and can contribute greatly to increased safety. The European new car assessment program, ENCAP, scores are carefully monitored for any tender competition to purchase vehicles. All vehicles purchased in future will be required to have a minimum of four stars in the ENCAP system.
Additional information not given on the floor of the House
As the Deputy is aware, the Select Committee on Justice, Equality Defence and Women's Rights met earlier this year to debate the 2004 Estimates for the Justice group of Votes and the issue of safety of Garda cars was raised. At that time the Minister informed the committee that the issue of safety of Garda cars was more complicated than one might think. The Minister further informed the committee that the Garda Commissioner had established a working group, which includes members of the GRA and AGSI, to examine the whole question of safety of Garda vehicles.
The Minister has recently again written to the Commissioner on the matter and he has been informed that the working group is now due to report to the Commissioner before Christmas. It was previously to have reported by the end of August. The Minister has indicated that he will revert further to the select committee when those findings are available to him.
Would the Minister of State agree that action is better than sympathy for the families of the two gardaí who were in court last week? Of course, we offer them our condolences. In the last four years, eight gardaí were killed in vehicles in the line of duty. The judge in the recent case criticised the level of safety in those vehicles. This is what Mr. Justice Johnson said:
It is not acceptable that young men who risk their lives every day to protect the ordinary citizens of this country should not be given the best equipment and training. We at least owe that to them.
We will all agree with that. At its annual conference in April of this year, the Garda Representative Association made a very strong statement, which does not coincide with that made by the Minister of State. The GRA president, Mr. Dermot O'Donnell, said, "Garda cars currently in use——
Deputy, it is not in order to quote during Question Time.
I will paraphrase Mr. O'Donnell's words. He said Garda cars were no different from family saloon cars, apart from their livery. That does not suggest that protective measures, such as airbags, side impact systems and roll over protection mechanisms, have been installed.
What is the situation in the Garda fleet of cars? Young men's lives are being put at risk. Ramming and joyriding is widespread, particularly in cities. In the last two years, €6 million was paid out in personal injury claims to gardaí who were injured in motor vehicle accidents.
How is it that gardaí who are on the street at the most difficult hours, very often at night, and in difficult situations do not have proper protection mechanisms in their cars? The Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform showed a saving of €19.9 million in his Department's Estimates. Much of this saving was on equipment and machinery. Why was that money not spent on ensuring that gardaí could do their duty on behalf of the citizens in a safe and secure fashion?
As I am sure the Deputy is aware, the Select Committee on Justice, Equality, Defence and Women's Rights met earlier this year to debate the 2004 Estimates for the Justice group of Votes and the issue of the safety of Garda cars was raised. At the time the Minister informed the committee that the issue of the safety of Garda cars was more complicated than one might think and that the Commissioner had established a working group, including members of the Garda Representative Association and the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors to consider the safety of Garda vehicles. The Minister again recently wrote to the Commissioner on the matter and was informed that the working group is due to report to the Commissioner before Christmas; previously it had been due to report by the end of August. The Minister has indicated that he will revert to the select committee when those findings are available.
Deputy Costello very fairly asked about the condition of the Garda fleet regarding safety issues. While the Minister is responsible for providing money for investment in the Garda fleet, it is a matter for Garda management to decide upon the allocation of the vehicles. The need to allocate additional vehicles or reallocate vehicles is assessed by the Garda authorities on an ongoing basis. Factors such as population, crime and area are taken into consideration in the process of assessing vehicle allocation or the need for extra transport. As I outlined to the Deputy, the decision to include airbags as a safety device was made in 2000. The current profile of the Garda fleet is as follows——
The Minister of State must conclude as we have exceeded the time allocated.
May I ask a brief supplementary question?
It will need to be very brief, as we have gone over the time allowed.
Is the Minister of State contradicting the president of the Garda Representative Association who said that apart from livery, Garda cars are no different in their use from family saloon cars? Is he saying there are airbags, anti-roll bars reinforced side panels in the cars as sought by the Garda Representative Association at its annual conference? It threatened industrial action unless they were delivered by the end of the year.
Airbags have been a requirement in all purchases since 2000. The Commissioner is awaiting a report on this matter before Christmas. I had planned to give the profile of the Garda fleet to assist the Deputy. As of 30 November the fleet comprised 1,473 cars — including the ministerial fleet, 223 vans, 235 motorcycles, 88 four-by-four vehicles and 57 other vehicles. The average age of the fleet is approximately 2.9 years with 43.1% less than two years old and a further 30.6% are between two and four years old.
The vehicle in which the two gardaí died had 114,000 miles on the clock.
7 Mr. Connolly asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the provisions which have been made in Counties Cavan and Monaghan and nationally for carrying out post mortem examinations at weekends on persons whose sudden deaths occur other than in hospitals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32609/04]
A number of Departments have responsibilities regarding the provision of a death investigation service, which is carried out by, and on behalf of, a coroner. Coroners are engaged by relevant local authorities, which are responsible for all matters relating to the engagement and financing of the coroners' activities. Local hospital consultant pathologists in the main, provide post mortem services to the coroner, using the facilities of their local hospital, but outside of their hospital contract. The responsibility of the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform relates to the enactment of any necessary legislative provisions, the provision of legal advice and assistance, where required, and other operational issues.
Currently, it is a matter for each coroner to make local arrangements with a pathologist for any post mortem examinations required. Following consideration of these arrangements, the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform has held discussions with the Irish Hospital Consultants Association with a view to effecting improvements in the provision of this service to coroners. Arising from these discussions, the Minister hopes to be in a position to make an announcement in the near future. In the interim period, the Department has made arrangements for the provision of post mortem services at weekends for counties Cavan and Monaghan.
On a general point, Department officials are currently working on a new Bill to provide for a comprehensive reform of the coroner's service. The Minister proposes to publish this Bill by the end of March 2005.
I thank the Minister of State for his answer from which I detect that a service will be put in place. I tabled the question, as Counties Cavan and Monaghan do not have a weekend post mortem service. In the event of a sudden death the body is brought to a hospital and becomes the possession of the coroner. More often than not these involve sudden and unexpected deaths of young people perhaps as a result of a car accident or suicide. I have received numerous representations on Friday evenings from parents seeking a post mortem examination to be carried out on their child. Particularly on a bank-holiday weekend, the stock answer they receive is that the post mortem examination will be performed on a Tuesday morning and the body would lie in a cold mortuary, as the family would describe it. They are thus unable to bring the body home to help with the grieving process. In all counties including Cavan and Monaghan we should have a seven-day-a-week post mortem service.
The Deputy should ask a question.
When will these pathologists take up duty? Particularly over holiday periods can we be reassured that post mortem examinations in Counties Cavan and Monaghan will be carried out at weekends? Will the ability to carry out post mortem examinations be restored to Cavan General Hospital as was promised in the recent past?
As I have already indicated, the Minister fully appreciates that the weekend service should be available to the people of Cavan and Monaghan as it is in all other areas of the State. This is why the Minister took action on two fronts. First, he made arrangements to ensure a service at weekends in the Cavan-Monaghan area. Second, he has engaged with the Irish Hospital Consultants Association with a view to effecting improvements in the provision of services in each coroner's area. No problems with post mortem services at weekends in other parts of the country have been drawn to the attention of the Minister. He has engaged with the Irish Hospital Consultants Association with a view to ensuring improvements are made in each coroner's area.
The Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform cannot assist the Deputy in identifying the exact physical configuration of where the service will be provided in the Cavan-Monaghan area.
Is the Minister of State aware that we have a post mortem service in Cavan General Hospital at weekends but only for patients who die suddenly in the hospital? My emphasis is on sudden deaths outside the hospital, in which cases the bodies are brought to the morgue. The hospital pathologist has no input into such post mortem examinations.
The Minister fully appreciates the statutory responsibilities of the coroners and his role regarding that legislation, and he is guaranteeing a weekend service for Cavan and Monaghan.
8 Mr. Murphy asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if his attention has been drawn to the fact that crèches built through funding from his Department have closed and that many more will close due to a lack of funding for day-to-day expenditure. [32412/04]
As the Deputy may be aware the Equal Opportunities Childcare Programme 2000-2006 is intended to increase the availability and quality of child care across the country. The Exchequer and the European Union Structural Funds fund the programme as part of the regional operational programmes of the national development plan. Initially €317 million of Exchequer and EU Structural Funds was made available to the programme over the life of the national development plan. The Government increased this to more than €436 million through an additional package of Exchequer funding and through interdepartmental transfers. In recognition of the many achievements of the programme up to December 2003, its funding was recently increased to €449.3 million following transfers of EU and Exchequer funding, based on recommendations made in the mid-term evaluations of the national development plan and its constituent operational programmes.
The Government's commitment to the development of the child care sector has been reaffirmed by the Minister for Finance in last week's budget. The multi-annual capital envelopes announced that day include the injection of a further €90 million in capital funding into the programme over the five years from 2005 to 2009. This will mean an increase of €50 million in the availability of capital under the first phase of the programme, bringing the total funding for the programme to €499.3 million while the remaining tranche of additional capital funding will be spent under the next phase.
The total funding committed under the programme up to the end of November 2004 is more than €266.8 million. Over 2,280 grants have been awarded to child care providers and community groups which will, when fully drawn down, lead to the creation of 31,973 new child care places and support 28,442 existing places.
Since the inception of the programme, every county has benefited significantly from grants to provide new and enhanced community-based child care facilities and to support capital developments in the private child care sector. Over 750 projects which have a strong focus on disadvantage have received staffing grant assistance. The programme makes staffing grant assistance available for a period of years, usually three years, to enable them to move towards self-sustainability which would normally be achieved when the service is operating at capacity and has introduced an fair and equitable fee structure.
Additional information not given on the floor of the House
In a number of services, the levels of disadvantage among parents are such that the families would be unable to pay economic fees and therefore a limited number of services are likely to require ongoing State support towards their staffing costs. My Department is reviewing the arrangements for the ongoing support of such services in very disadvantaged areas and plans to introduce new arrangements to support those very disadvantaged services which have already received three or more years of grant assistance, with effect from 1 September 2005.
The Equal Opportunities Childcare Programme 2000-2006 is making significant amounts of public funding, including EU funding, available to child care groups. It is essential that the financial management of such funding meets the highest standards and as a result it has been necessary to put rigorous procedures in place to oversee this function. This can result in the decommitment of funding grants and the recoupment of grants in extreme cases.
I am not aware of any significant closure of services as referred to by the Deputy. Each grant beneficiary has signed a contract with ADM Limited on behalf of my Department to maintain a service for a specific period of years, which varies with the size of the grant received. Again, a breach of this contract can lead to the recoupment of funding.
I do not dispute that a substantial sum is being made available for capital programmes. The problem is that when the facility is made available, the voluntary groups that are trying to run it find it difficult. In small towns and villages sums of up to €100,000 must be raised each year to top up the grants given by the Department. The staffing grants are totally inadequate and the entire programme is collapsing as a result. There is no point having fine buildings if the crèche facilities do not open and do not work on a guaranteed permanent basis. Will the Minister of State review the entire process because the current system is not working?
Large centres are not getting crèches because community groups are not willing to take on the amount of voluntary work involved. There are large towns with no planned crèches and small villages with substantial crèche facilities because community and voluntary groups work harder in those villages. A review of the entire process is necessary. The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment is in breach of many European directives because one of the ways to encourage people back to work is to ensure there are proper crèche facilities in all communities.
To assist disadvantaged families, the equal opportunities child care programme makes staffing grant assistance available to community-based not for profit child care services for a period of years, usually three years, to enable them to move towards self-sustainability. This can normally be achieved when the service is operating at capacity and with a fair and equitable fee structure. The Department is reviewing the arrangements for the ongoing support of such services in very disadvantaged areas and plans to introduce new arrangements to support very disadvantages areas which have received three years or more of staffing grant assistance with effect from 1 September 2005. All groups that have received three or more years of staffing grant assistance or which will have received three or more years of staffing grant assistance before 31 August 2005 will receive their current level of staffing grant assistance until 31 August 2005 when the new arrangements to benefit the most disadvantaged services will be introduced.
The Deputy referred to closures but from the perusal of files by ADM Limited, it is not aware of any group funded by the programme in Cork that is possibly closing or has closed other than that in Millstreet.
I welcome the review because the current system is not working. Millstreet closed its doors even though the very active community there raised an enormous amount of money to keep it going. When will the review take place? When will it finish? When will extra funding be provided for current spending in these crèches?
Will the Minister of State look at the situation in Ballydehob as well?
The Deputy is not entitled to intervene on Priority Questions and the Minister of State is out of order if he answers.
We have committed to ADM Limited responsibility for making detailed decisions on the administration of this matter but the Department is carrying out a separate review of the overall arrangements and plans to introduce new arrangements with effect from 1 September 2005.
The Minister of State must not forget Ballydehob.
9 Mr. Costello asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the new action he intends to take to deal with the problem of violence against women, particularly domestic violence and rape, and the alarming incidence of murder of women by spouses or partners; if he has satisfied himself that the gardaí are adequately equipped to deal with the problem of violence against women; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32607/04]
The Government places a very high priority on putting in place measures aimed at tackling crimes of domestic violence and other crimes of violence against women. The Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, one of five Departments with responsibility in this area, is responsible for legislative initiatives; preventative measures that can be put in place, such as intervention programmes for perpetrators of domestic violence; awareness raising measures aimed at changing society's attitude to domestic violence; and identifying and developing necessary responses from the civil and criminal justice systems.
Moreover, the Department co-ordinates the work of the National Steering Committee on Violence Against Women, which is chaired by Minister of State at the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Deputy Fahey. The national steering committee is comprised of representatives of the Departments with responsibility for this issue, the non-governmental organisations working on this issue, the Garda Síochána, the Courts Service, the probation and welfare service, health boards and the medical and legal professions.
The number of incidents of domestic violence, rape and sexual assault reported to the Garda in 2003, the last full year for which figures are available, show a significant reduction when compared to the recorded incidents of these crimes in 2002. For example, in 2002 there were 10,248 reported incidents of domestic violence. In 92% of the cases, the complainant was female. In 2003, this fell to 8,452 or a reduction of 17.5% and in 93% of cases, the complainant was female. In the case of reported incidents of the heinous crime of rape, there was a reduction of 25.5% between 2002 and 2003. In the case of reported incidents of sexual assault, the number in 2002 was 1,626 and by 2003, this fell to 1,449. These reductions are a very welcome development but the Minister cautions against forming conclusive views on the basis of one year's figures.
Provisional Garda figures for the period January to September of this year show a similar picture for sexual assault. These figures indicate a decrease of 25% compared to reported incidents in the same period in 2003.
Rape, however, gives cause for concern. Provisional figures indicate that an additional 31 cases of rape were reported to the Garda between January and September 2004 compared to the same period in 2003.
The Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, on behalf of the National Steering Committee on Violence Against Women, has conducted a number of awareness raising campaigns around the various aspects of violence against women in recent years. Recent awareness campaigns have included a poster campaign on domestic violence which was conducted in 2003 and a campaign in 2002 aimed at highlighting the dangers of drug assisted rape. This involved the development of a series of posters which were displayed in pubs, clubs and third level colleges around the country. Follow-up campaigns were undertaken in third level colleges in 2003 and 2004. In addition, the Department has provided funding to a number of rape crisis centres to deliver an awareness programme in schools in their locality.
Additional information not given on the floor of the House
The Department, in conjunction with the committee, is developing a national television and radio advertising campaign on domestic violence which will be conducted jointly with Northern Ireland in the new year.
The Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform has recently provided joint funding for comprehensive research into attrition rates in rape cases. The research, entitled The Understanding of Attrition, Early Withdrawal, the Trial Process and Identifying Possible Changes to Support Complainants in Rape Cases, is being carried out by the department of law at the National University of Ireland, Galway, and Rape Crisis Network Ireland. This research should provide a greater understanding of why some victims choose not to report cases to the Garda, what can be done about under-reporting and why, of the cases that are reported, only a relatively small percentage result in a court hearing.
The Garda Síochána has never been better resourced or equipped — this year its budget exceeds €1 billion and next year it will further increase to over €1.1 billion. The Garda Síochána thoroughly investigates all complaints of rape and ensures that victims are dealt with in a professional manner. It also monitors all incidents of domestic violence on a daily basis. Designated inspectors are allocated to each Garda division to ensure that the Garda domestic violence policy is implemented. This policy is currently being reviewed.
In addition, all gardaí receive training on the investigation of cases of domestic violence, rape and sexual assault. This training is provided by experienced Garda personnel assisted by other professionals, such as psychologists, doctors, social workers and experts from the various non-governmental organisations.
There is close co-operation by the Garda Síochána with other organisations involved in this area, including non-governmental organisations. The Garda Síochána continues to make efforts to combat incidents of rape through education, increased awareness and enforcement of the relevant legislation. Recording systems for all domestic violence incidents are being integrated into the PULSE computer system and all of this will improve the overall monitoring of domestic violence cases.
While the Minister of State says that high priority is being given by the Department to dealing with violence against women, the figures show the opposite. Women's Aid has stated that there has been no increase in the funding for its services since 2002 and it was not happy with the recent budget. It was unable to deal with 52% of the increase in the number of calls it received last year. There were 15,717 calls to the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre last year, a huge number, but no additional funding has been provided since 2002.
Women's Aid protested outside the Dáil last week against domestic violence, highlighting that 107 women have been murdered in the past 108 months, 80% by someone known and 50% by a partner. The protest will continue until International Women's Day on 10 December.
The Minister of State was selective with his figures. Sexual assault increased in the first nine months of 2004 by 40% and unlawful carnal knowledge increased by 173%, figures given by the Minister. There were 8,452 incidents of domestic violence in 2003 — 90% of the offenders were men — and 1,700 women and 2,889 children were accommodated in refuges for women escaping from the home because of violence. There were 1,083 who could not find a place in a refuge and because of the savage 16 cuts by the Department of Social and Family Affairs they were not entitled to get accommodation. I hope the Minister of State can assure the House that the nefarious cut has been rescinded because these are women and children who could not get into refuges due to the lack of accommodation and they could not apply for landlord accommodation as they had to be homeless for a period of six months. Will the Minister of State give an undertaking that funding will be granted over and above what has been provided to date? Women's Aid has stated that there has been no increase in funding since 2002. Is that accurate? Will the seven-day national free phone helpline that Women's Aid employs be adequately funded to deal with queries rather than being unable to deal with 52% of queries due to lack of resources?
The whole question of funding is the responsibility of various Departments. For example, it is important to bear in mind that different Departments have different responsibilities in regard to this issue.
Let us refer to the organisations providing the service, the Rape Crisis Centre, Women's Aid and hostels.
The Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform is responsible for necessary legislative changes in the area of violence against women and for dealing with perpetrators through the criminal justice system. It has established perpetrator programmes, sponsored research on issues of domestic violence and other forms of violence against women and conducts awareness campaigns. The Department provides a secretariat to the national steering committee. The Department of Health and Children is responsible for the provision of health and social services for the victims of violence, including domestic violence, rape and sexual assault, through the relevant health boards. In the main, these services are provided by non-governmental organisations such as Women's Aid, the Rape Crisis Centre and the women's refuges. Funding for these bodies is not the responsibility of the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform but that of his colleague, the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children.
Equally the whole question of rent supplement is a matter for the Minister for Social and Family Affairs. There are distinct responsibilities in regard to this matter. The Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform is aware of the need to reduce the incidence of this crime and has put specific measures in place to prevent or reduce the number of incidents of domestic violence.
In recent years the Department has supported the establishment of a number of intervention programmes for perpetrators. These include Move Ireland, which operates 11 programmes nationally, the south-east domestic violence intervention project, which operates four programmes in the region, the national domestic violence intervention agency which operates on a pilot basis in the Dún Laoghaire and Bray District Court areas. The Department has arranged for all these programmes to be independently evaluated. It is hoped this evaluation will identify best practice for the operation of programmes for perpetrators and will lead to further improvements. The Department has arranged for a number of awareness raising campaigns on domestic violence with the national steering committee on violence against women. A television and radio advertising campaign is being developed and will be conducted jointly with Northern Ireland in the new year. I am glad to report some progress——
Will the Minister of State accept there is a crisis in the area of domestic violence in the home given the number of calls to the national helpline — 18,902 in 2003 and 15,717 to the Rape Crisis Centre in the same year — and that it is virtually impossible to get a doctor to a Garda station where a rape has been reported? What is being done to deal with these extraordinarily serious incidents of violence against women?
Human nature being what it is, we always have to be vigilant on this topic. I have outlined the many initiatives the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform has taken in this area. The specific issue raised by the Deputy is the provision of general practitioner services to the victims of such incidents at Garda stations.
The Garda stations cannot get them.
The Minister's colleague, the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children, has announced a specific initiative for improvements in the general practitioners service on the north side of Dublin.
