Vol. 431 No. 6
7 Mr. Shatter asked the Minister for Equality and Law Reform the initiatives, if any, he proposes to take to ensure that all State services co-ordinate their responses when allegations of domestic violence or sexual abuse are made.
Other than where the Legal Aid Board's services may be concerned my Department has no particular responsibility for State services in cases where allegations of domestic violence or sexual abuse are made. The Departments of Health and Justice are the Departments with primary responsibility in these areas. Accordingly, any improvements which might be brought about in the area of co-ordination of such services, can best be undertaken by those two Departments.
Indeed in the report of the Kilkenny incest investigation which was headed by Ms. Catherine McGuinness, SC, it is recommended that:
responsibility for ensuring that interagency reviews are carried out should be assigned to the Health Board. My colleague the Minister for Health is currently examining the report.
As responsibility for co-ordination in such matters is clearly not a matter for my Department it would be inappropriate for me to comment further.
Does the Minister agree that the co-ordination of State services in dealing with allegations of sexual and physical abuse is of the utmost importance? Does he acknowledge that the primary victims of such abuse are women and children and that if the rights of women and children are to be protected equally the Department of Equality and Law Reform should act as the co-ordinating Department, as the evidence from the Kilkenny incest case showed an abysmal lack of co-operation over a long number of years between the various agencies under different Departments?
I agree with the Deputy that a level of co-ordination is essential between the Departments of Health and Justice. The McGuinness report examined the question of who should have responsibility for that co-ordinating role and came to the conclusion that that responsibility should be assigned to the health board. Consequently, I would have no further role nor would my Department. However, I would be happy to assist in any way possible or appropriate.
Deputy Shatter rose.
A brief question, Deputy Shatter, please. I am anxious to dispose of the remaining question as time for priority questions is fast running out.
Will the Minister acknowledge that previous Governments appointed a Minister for women's affairs who had a specific important and co-ordinating role in this area? Will the Minister acknowledge that his brief is seen to incorporate the role of the Minister for women's affairs or is he saying he has less responsibility for women and those who had been abused both as children and as adults than had his predecessors?
Will the Minister acknowledge that the health board has no function in ensuring that the gardaí operate properly and that if matters are left as the Minister states we will have further cases of people continuing to be abused——
I asked for brevity in the hope of calling the next question.
——because of the failure of co-ordination of State services? If the Chair did not interrupt——
The Chair does not interrupt, in intervenes to try to secure order, decorum and fairness especially in dealing with priority questions but most times the Chair is ignored.
I do not know whether my Department has more or less responsibility than the previous Department for women's affairs but certainly the responsibilities of my Department are different. They include a large number of other areas which were not included in that Department in the past. Clearly, the Department of Health and the health boards are at the cutting edge of these issues and should be in communication with the Garda when they come across cases they suspect should be investigated. I presume that is the reason the McGuinness report suggested the health board should have the co-ordinating responsibility to liaise with the Department of Justice and the Garda in appropriate cases. As the House is aware the Minister for Health has provided an additional £5 million this year to bring all the provisions of the Child Care Act, 1991, into operation as quickly as possible.
In three years' time?
That is being done. I can only act within the functions deputed to me by the Government. My responsibility in these areas is limited. I will be happy to give any assistance to those Departments.
We no longer have a Minister for womens' affairs.
The Chair merely administers the rules of this House, nothing more, nothing less. I will hear a reply to Question No. 8 in the name of Deputy Gregory if it is responded to now.
