Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 30 January 2024
432. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Justice if she will report on the removal of the Ombudsman for Children's Office in the Domestic, Sexual & Gender Based Violence Services action due to the failure of delivery of required resources from her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4322/24]
View answerAs the Deputy is aware, combatting all forms of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence (DSGBV) is a priority for me and my Department and this is reflected in a range of policies and legislation I have introduced, as well as unprecedented increases secured in successive Budget allocations.
As the Deputy will be aware, in June 2022 I published an ambitious €363 million, Zero Tolerance Strategy to be delivered from 2022 to 2026.
The Strategy rightly recognises children as victims / survivors of domestic violence in their own right and includes priority actions on making our systems work better for children who have suffered as a result of sexual and domestic violence.
Zero Tolerance is a whole of Government Plan and as the Deputy will be aware, it is the responsibility of each Department or body to prioritise the implementation of those actions which have been agreed to, either from within existing resources or through funding they secure in the annual estimates process.
While the current implementation plan for the Strategy, which ran to the end of 2023, envisaged that the Office of the Ombudsman for Children would use their expertise to ensure the child-centred actions are implemented in a way that best meets the needs of children, I have been informed that this oversight role is not one the Office feels it can undertake at present due to resource issues.
At the request of the Office of the Ombudsman for Children, I have agreed to remove the reference his Office from the 2024 implementation plan for the Strategy, which I intend to publish shortly.
If in the future, the Office of the Ombudsman for Children is in a position to commit to undertake this role, I would be very happy to re-engage on this.
