Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 17 February 2022
97. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Justice if the review recommendations relating to the provision of accommodation for victims of domestic violence will be included in the forthcoming publication of the third national strategy on domestic, sexual and gender-based violence; when this publication will be available; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8685/22]
View answerI raise the issue of accommodation for people fleeing domestic violence. I know that since I tabled the question, the Minister has had updates on the issue and published plans on it. What engagement has she had with the various local groups in respect of delivery of services? For example, the West Cork Women Against Violence Project has been providing very positive services in its locality, as have a range of other groups locally. The Minister has identified there will be five places for families in west Cork and five in north Cork. Does she have a plan in respect of how those places will be delivered? If so, I ask her to outline it.
As the Deputy will be aware, I met a significant number of front-line and community organisations, some of which are already delivering refuge supports for people across the country. The report and the accommodation review published by Tusla clearly highlight the need that exists and the work that has to be done in delivering additional refuge spaces. It identified ten areas of 82 units on which we need to work and deliver immediately. Three of them are in Cork, as the Deputy noted.
The work I am doing now is setting out the funding that is required, the manner in which we are going to do it, how we can change the structures and, in the longer term, how we can introduce a new agency that would have sole responsibility in the delivery of these types of services. At the moment, it is quite fractured across various Departments, including my Department of Justice, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, as well as Tusla. What we intend to do in the coming months and years is to bring that structure so that delivery can be as quick as possible. I will set out clear timeframes and funding when we launch the third national strategy.
Hopefully that will happen in mid-April.
