Gerry Reynolds
Ceist:40 Mr. G. Reynolds asked the Minister for Justice if he has any plans to establish the full extent and nature of crimes of domestic violence perpetrated against spouses; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Written Answers. - Domestic Violence.
William Cotter
Ceist:68 Mr. Cotter asked the Minister for Justice if he has any plans to establish the full extent and nature of crimes of domestic violence perpetrated against spouses; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Nora Owen
Ceist:79 Mrs. Owen asked the Minister for Justice if he has any plans to establish the full extent and nature of crimes of domestic violence perpetrated against spouses; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Pádraic McCormack
Ceist:82 Mr. McCormack asked the Minister for Justice if he has any plans to establish the full extent and nature of crimes of domestic violence perpetrated against spouses; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Dinny McGinley
Ceist:84 Mr. McGinley asked the Minister for Justice if he has any plans to establish the full extent and nature of crimes of domestic violence perpetrated against spouses; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 40, 68, 79, 82 and 84 together.
Garda crime statistics are not maintained in a way which would show the proportion of cases in which the victim was a spouse who had been subjected to domestic violence. It would in fact be quite difficult for the Garda to isolate this statistic with any degree of accuracy. The normal situation is that the Garda are called to deal with a domestic disturbance, sometimes involving parents, sometimes children, sometimes perhaps neighbours or other parties. If the situation has been brought under control it may not be necessary — nor indeed desirable — for the Garda to proceed, then, to establish precisely who, if anybody, may have assaulted whom, whether the parties had a husband and wife or other relationship with each other and so on. If there was reason for gathering such information for the purpose of a criminal prosecution, it would obviously be a different matter, but if the parties have settled their differences and are now prepared to admit that violence occurred, then it is quite simply impossible for the Garda to produce a complete picture on the incidence of violence.
The number of occasions on which the Garda are called to deal with family rows indicates quite clearly however that the problem is one of significance. I am informed by the Garda authorities that in the period from November 1991 to date the Garda have had 1,877 calls in the Dublin Metropolitan Area to deal with domestic disturbances.
While it would not be possible to say that a spouse had been the victim of violence in all of these cases, there is no doubt that in a proportion — and probably a significant proportion — of them either a spouse or co-habitee would have suffered some violence either physical or psychological. More often than not of course — and statistics produced by bodies such as the Legal Aid Board confirm this — the victim is a woman.
Fortunately, there is now a heightened awareness that the incidence of criminal attacks on women generally is a problem of significant proportions. I am pleased to say that this increased awareness is matched by a growing determination on the part of law enforcement agencies — including the Garda Síochána — to tackle the problem with every means at their disposal.
An essential step in dealing with the issue is that it be brought out into the open and discussed. For this reason as announced in the Law Enforcement Package for 1992, violence against women — including domestic violence — will be the subject of specific attention by law enforcement agencies this year. As part of this endeavour, my Department will sponsor a national conference on the subject later in the year — hopefully in October — which will be addressed by experts from this country and elsewhere. This, I expect, will make a significant contribution to enlightened debate on the matter and improve understanding of what we need to do, as a society, in order to deal effectively with it.
Another example of the attention being given to this issue by the Garda authorities is a joint research project into the problem being undertaken by the Garda College and St. Patrick's College, Drumcondra. This project is being undertaken in two phases. The first phase will identify the relevant aspects of the problems and the second will involve the development of a programme to ensure that Garda procedures and training equip them fully with the skills and facilities to deal effectively with the problem.
Of course some very important legislative measures in this field have been introduced such as the Criminal Law (Rape) (Amendment) Act, 1990 and, more recently, the Criminal Evidence Bill. The Bill sets out to protect the victims of domestic violence by clearly establishing the circumstances in which the spouse of an accused is competent or compellable to give evidence. For example, a wife will be obliged to give evidence for the prosecution if her husband is accused of violence against her or of violence or a sexual offence against a child.
I can assure the House that the issue of domestic violence is being given every attention with a view to ensuring that the problem is effectively and sympathetically dealt with.