Charles Flanagan
Question:309. Deputy Charles Flanagan asked the Minister for Justice the current situation regarding the provision of a domestic violence refuge in County Laois; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5792/23]
View answerWednesday, 8 February 2023
Questions (309)
Written answers
As the Deputy will be aware, in June of last year Government launched Zero Tolerance, the third national strategy on domestic, sexual and gender based violence.In line with the priority which we are attaching to tackling domestic, sexual and gender based violence, we will double the number of refuge spaces over the lifetime of the strategy, bringing it to 280. This will be the fastest ever expansion of refuge spaces.
The government has agreed to prioritise the delivery of 98 refuge spaces in Sligo, Cavan/Monaghan, Cork City, North Cork, West Cork, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, Westmeath, Portlaoise, Balbriggan Longford, Carlow and Offaly. In the initial phase of this work, we expect to have delivered 24 places in Wexford, Dundalk and Navan in 2024.
This Strategy also sets a target to increase the number of Safe Homes. In 2022, an additional 12 Safe Homes were put in place with a further increase from 32 to 50 expected by the end of 2023.In addition, and by putting in place the correct structures to deliver additional refuge accommodation, we will accelerate the number of refuge spaces that can be opened each year. Already work undertaken implementing the Strategy has prepared the way for this, including through the development of agreed processes and approaches to ensure we have the highest standard of refuge accommodation, delivered in the most efficient way and the allocation of a very significant increase in funding under Budget 2023.
As the Deputy will also be aware, a new statutory Domestic, Sexual and Gender Based Violence agency, under the aegis of the Department of Justice, is being established. The agency will ensure a permanent and dedicated focus on implementation and supports for Government and the sector in our work to combat DSGBV and support victims of these horrific crime.The agency will have a specific mandate to drive the implementation of the Zero Tolerance: Third National Strategy on Domestic, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence across Government, bringing the expertise and focus required to tackle this complex social issue.
Pending establishment of the Agency, responsibility for DSGBV services continues to be channelled through Tusla and as such I have referred the specific question posed by the Deputy to Tusla for direct reply.