Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 3 December 2020
126. Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth : if he is satisfied with the level of core funding provided to domestic, sexual and gender-based violence service providers; if funding is provided in such a way as to provide certainty to the organisations and enable them to carry out their vital work; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40651/20]
View answer139. Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the amount of funding allocated to support domestic, sexual and gender-based violence services in 2021; the further funding that will be allocated arising from the ongoing impact of the Covid-19 pandemic; the steps that can be taken towards providing funding on a multi-annual basis to service providers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40650/20]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 126 and 139 together.
The response to Domestic, Sexual Violence and Gender-based Violence (DSGBV) is a cross Departmental and multi-agency issue. Policy is coordinated by the Department of Justice. Tusla, the Child and Family Agency has statutory responsibility under the Child and Family Agency Act 2013 for the care and protection of victims of DSGBV.
Tusla will allocate additional funding of €4.7 million to support DSGBV services across the country in 2021. A total of €30 million will be made available by DCEDIY to Tusla to fund DSGBV services. This includes a €2.7 million increase in core funding, bringing core service provision to €28 million, with an additional €2 million of one-off contingency funding being made available to help services cope with the ongoing effects of COVID-19.
This increase in funding reflects my personal commitment on this issue. I am hopeful that these additional resources will enable services to continue their valuable supports for victims and their families at a very vulnerable time in their lives.
I am acutely conscious of the challenges posed for service planning by the annual nature of the budgetary cycle. The management of grant funding is governed by Department of Public Expenditure and Reform Circular 13/2014 Management of and Accountability for Grants from Exchequer Funds which requires that all grants be expended by year end. The Public Spending Code and any move to providing long term or multi-annual funding would be a matter for central Government, and would require significant cross-government and legislative consideration.
Tusla is currently engaging with DSGBV services regarding service planning for 2021 within available resources. Tusla has advised me that it is aware of particular service pressures for some organisations in the context of COVID-19. The Agency has progressively allocated funding to address service gaps in recent years, in addition to sustainability issues. Tusla has informed me that it expects core funding pressures to be addressed within the funding I have made available for DSGBV services in 2021.
All funding issued by Tusla to DSGBV services is provided through annual Service Level Agreements. Tusla actively engages with organisations throughout the year in accordance with the terms of those agreements, such as bilateral meetings or teleconferences that provide opportunities for discussion on service pressures and emerging issues regarding governance or policy.
