Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 11 November 2021
330. Deputy Marian Harkin asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if funding will be made available as a matter of urgency for the provision of a domestic violence refuge for counties Sligo and Leitrim; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55289/21]
View answerThe response to Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence (DSGBV) is a cross Departmental and multi-agency issue with policy coordinated by the Department of Justice. Under the Child and Family Agency Act 2013, Tusla, the Child and Family Agency has statutory responsibility for the care and protection of victims of DSGBV. Capital funding for approved housing bodies, including services that provide refuge accommodation for victims of DSGBV, is provided by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.
Tusla’s ‘Review of the Provision of Accommodation for Victims of Domestic Violence’ assesses the current and requisite distribution of safe emergency accommodation and has examined the current level of refuge provision, evidence of demand for services and unmet need, and analysis of proximity to refuge by local communities. The Review has been completed and is undergoing the final edit for publication. It is intended to publish the Review this month. Therefore, at present, I am not in a position to confirm if funding for refuges for victims of domestic violence will be established in counties Sligo or Leitrim.
While there is currently no domestic violence refuge in Sligo/Leitrim, Tusla's Area Manager for that region has confirmed that the Domestic Violence Advocacy Service (DVAS) can and does provide temporary accommodation for service users on an as and when required basis.
I expect that the implementation process for the Review will identify priority areas where there is greatest urgency in achieving safe accommodation for victims of domestic violence. Implementation will require collaboration from a range of statutory and other bodies.
The Review represents my commitment to prioritising and supporting victims of DSGBV. My Department continues to engage with Tusla, Non-Government Organisations that play a key role in this area, and other relevant Government Departments and Agencies (particularly the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and the Department of Justice) to progress work in this area.
