Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 10 December 2020
14. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Justice the actions she will take to address the rising levels of domestic violence in County Cork; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42423/20]
View answerWe know there has been a spike in domestic violence in recent months. It appears the public health measures have, unfortunately, created circumstances in which violence can prosper and spread. What action has the Government taken to address this in my constituency of Cork North-Central?
Since my appointment as Minister, I have significantly prioritised tackling domestic abuse and supporting victims. I assure the Deputy that I am working collectively with my colleagues and with our partners to address the immediate needs of victims of domestic abuse and, going forward, to put in place a system designed and built around their needs.
With regard to his specific question about measures to combat increased incidents of domestic abuse in Cork, as I have said, our collective approach is a national one, but this includes working to make sure appropriate supports are in place for victims wherever they live. I will refer later in my response to Cork in more detail.
I am committed to supporting victims in the short term, including by addressing the challenges presented by the pandemic, and also to introducing an improved and comprehensive approach to providing the services that victims of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence need. Together with the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Deputy O'Gorman, I will meet with Safe Ireland in the coming week and we will meet on a continuous basis to try to address many of the concerns it has raised.
I have published and started implementing Supporting A Victim's Journey, which includes the actions necessary for the full implementation of the 52 O'Malley recommendations. This will introduce very real supports and protections for vulnerable victims and witnesses. The update I received yesterday from the implementation oversight group, which I chair, is testament to the real determination of all those involved to meet the ambitious targets set out in the implementation plan.
I referred to the audit of services to be completed by the end of the March and to the review of the second national strategy for combatting domestic sexual and gender-based violence, which will inform the design of the third strategy.
I have also referred to the proactive approach taken by my Department since the start of the pandemic and to the Covid-specific funding provided. I draw attention to the Still Here public awareness campaign run by my Department in partnership with public sector organisations and NGOs. This campaign is about getting the message out that services continue to be available to victims of domestic abuse and that the travel restrictions do not apply to victims seeking help. This is a message worth repeating at every opportunity. I urge anyone who is a victim of domestic abuse to reach out for help when it is safe to do so, because the front-line services will support people and prioritise their case.
Additional information not given on the floor of the House
An Garda Síochána continues to attach the highest priority to domestic abuse through Operation Faoiseamh. As part of their work to prioritise domestic abuse cases the Legal Aid Board established a helpline to ensure victims of domestic abuse get legal advice and representation where required and the Court Service is facilitating remote hearings for protective orders for those who cannot travel.
I understand that the Cork divisional protective services unit was launched on 4 August as part of the national roll-out and I am sure, like me, the Deputy welcomes this specialist approach to ensuring vulnerable victims are consistently met with the highest standard of specialist professional and sensitive expertise.
There were 19,344 domestic abuse incident reports in the period from 12 March 2019 to 3 November 2019. This year, from 12 March to 3 November 2020, there was a total of 22,540 reported incidents. That is an increase of more than 3,000 cases. There have been 217 prosecutions for domestic violence during the pandemic. It is vital that the Government does everything in its power to address the matter. It is welcome that a number of initiatives have been undertaken, both by the Government and An Garda Síochána, in recent weeks. Operation Faoiseamh in particular ensures that gardaí on the ground are working to address the issue. The Garda has made more than 15,300 contacts or attempted contacts to victims of domestic abuse as part of this operation. While much is being done to ensure that people are aware of the supports that are available, it is, unfortunately, the case that there are gaps, which need to be addressed. One of those gaps is the access to refuge places. I understand that the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth is also involved in this area. The issue must be addressed. Could the Minister provide an update on when we can expect to see action to improve the provision of places?
As the Deputy outlined, that work is happening in the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth and the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman and his team are currently undertaking an audit, which is due to be completed early in the new year. It is about much more than just bed spaces; it is about ensuring the appropriate services are there and that people in State agencies are working together with the community and voluntary sector.
Unfortunately, the figures are not specific to Cork, as we have seen an increase everywhere. The increase for 2020 compared to 2019 is 14%. If we break down the figures for Cork north, there was a 15% increase in incidents, Cork city had the largest number of incidents and Cork west saw a 20% increase in incidents. It is very clear that this has become even more of a problem than it already was. As Deputy O'Sullivan outlined, significant work has been done by An Garda Síochána's Operation Faoiseamh. There have been 217 prosecutions specifically in this area, 20,699 contacts or attempts to contact victims and 110 prosecutions have commenced, so a significant amount of work is under way by An Garda Síochána in Cork to try to deal with this problem.
It is welcome that a review is under way on refuge spaces. Could the Minister clarify when the review is expected to conclude? Domestic violence is often discussed in the overall context of gender-based violence, but it is broader than that. We know that men are also victims. We also know that child-parent domestic abuse is an issue. I am concerned about the lack of availability of refuge spaces for men within the system. It appears that there is no current research on the need for such places. It stands to reason that there may be an unmet demand that is not being addressed. Is the Department willing to consider the development of male refuge places alongside addressing the need for additional spaces throughout the system?
This is not within the remit of my Department, but my understanding is that the review will be concluded in the new year. I think the timeline that has been set is for it to be done by April. A suite of different actions are being taken at the moment. We have the audit to look at all of the different Departments and services and the support that they provide and how we can put in place a much better structure to make sure that we can drive the implementation of services and bring about much-needed change in this area. We will have the implementation of the review of the second national strategy, which will then feed into the third strategy. The implementation group is working on Supporting A Victim's Journey, which is very specific to people who have been victims of sexual violence and are going through the courts process. As well as that, there is a significant amount of engagement happening. I mentioned meeting with Safe Ireland. I met with countless community and voluntary groups. It is important that we can support them in the work that they are doing. We are currently looking at how we can fund groups in a much better way, as part of the implementation of the O'Malley recommendations. We are considering providing funding for perhaps two or three years so that they can plan ahead and put in place the supports and services. That is something that has been missing. Lots of different actions are taking place and we need all of it to come together because there is a significant amount of work still to do. I am fully committed to that and I know the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, is also committed to that.
I understand Deputy Colm Burke is taking the next question.
