The guidance provided by the Council of Europe sets a recommended standard for the provision of shelter places which Government is committed to reaching.
Under the Third National Strategy on Domestic, Sexual and Gender Based Violence, we will see the fastest ever expansion in the number of refuge spaces.
We will double the number of spaces and will put in place the structures to go on to deliver in full the recommended Istanbul target. In parallel, we will introduce mechanisms to enable victims to stay safely in their homes.
As the Deputy is aware, Tusla completed a review of accommodation services for victims of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence which found that a minimum of between 50 and 60 new refuge places are needed as a priority.
The Strategy goes further and commits to doubling, to over 280, the number of refuge places over the next 5 years, which is one element of how we will achieve this. The delivery of additional safe homes and step down accommodation will also be a key part.
Further analysis, as well as the work of an interdepartmental group identified 12 locations nationwide where delivery of 98 family refuge spaces would have the most impact.
These locations represent areas where there is the most significant under-provision and are a starting point to increasing refuge spaces comprehensively across the country.
They include Sligo, Cavan/Monaghan, Cork city, North Cork, West Cork, Dún Laoghaire/Rathdown, Westmeath, Portlaoise, Balbriggan, Longford, Carlow and Offaly.
The Strategy commits to the delivery of 24 refuge places being developed in Wexford, Dundalk and Navan by 2024 with all units in priority locations delivered by the end of the Strategy.
For the majority of the priority locations, there is an existing local DV service provider with capacity to progress a capital project if additional supports in the form of project management skills could be provided.
This would enable the existing service provider to support the advancement of a capital project through design, planning and construction, and ensuring the necessary stakeholder engagement.
For areas where there is no existing local service provider, the Government will provide resources to help local community and voluntary groups to develop the necessary processes and supporting infrastructure.
The development of a new Statutory Agency for DSGBV and of new structures and processes, will enable us to scale up the number of spaces we can deliver each year.
This means we will be delivering a higher number of refuge spaces towards the end of the strategy, than at the beginning. I expect this higher rate of delivery to continue until we reach the recommended number of places, as set out in the Istanbul guidance.
Despite the best efforts of many dedicated people, there has been under-provision and a significant lack of safe spaces in Ireland.
We are starting from a low base and the targets set out in the Strategy are ambitious but achievable. This, as a start, together with the changes we will make to the system for the delivery of refuge spaces, will ensure that women and men who seek safety will have refuge available to them.
