Spokesperson on Environment, Heritage and Local Government; Northern Ireland

John Gormley launches SAFE Ireland’s report “In Just One Day”

Ladies and Gentlemen, it is my privilege to be here today to launch the SAFE Ireland’s report “In Just One Day”.
Before I go any further I would like to pay tribute to the young lady who shared her true life experience with us. You have shown amazing courage, not only to overcome the violent situation you were subjected to, but to come here and share that story with us. Your story also makes clear the reality of domestic violence and the importance of refuges and the safe havens they provide.

I would like to thank Sharon O'Halloran, Director and Jacinta Carey, Chairperson of Safe Ireland for their invitation and to congratulate Safe Ireland on this report. I see that we have a broad selection of persons with an interest and commitment in this area here today including of course some of my parliamentary colleagues.

Today’s report, In Just One Day, is extremely powerful. It manages to paint a picture of the challenges and hurdles facing this very vulnerable group in Ireland on 4th November last year. It is a snapshot in time that manages to convey the reality behind the statistics.

This report and indeed last year’s report increase all our knowledge about this problem and such knowledge is key to making progress in dealing with it.

As you know my Department does not have the lead role in relation to domestic violence. That is a matter for Department of Justice and Law Reform and Cosc, but a coherent response to domestic involvement requires a coordinated whole of Government approach.

My department does have a very important role in that approach through its responsibility for homelessness policy.

The reality of domestic violence for many women and children sees them having to flee their family homes. Homelessness is the only option open to them to escape this horrific abuse.

This is why the services provided by the frontline domestic violence services, many of them represented by SAFE Ireland are important. You provide these people with a refuge, a safe place to go, and with the other supports, emotional and practical that can break the cycle of abuse.

My Department is responsible for providing funding for homeless accommodation costs, including many refuges throughout the country and other emergency accommodation. The HSE is responsible for health and care costs.

I know there are concerns about services for vulnerable groups and Safe Ireland has raised the issue of funding levels for its members providing front lines services for women and children at risk of domestic violence.

And I want to be very clear in relation to homelessness funding my department currently provides to refuges. During the economic downturn, I have made it a priority that vulnerable groups are protected. Therefore, I have made it a priority during the three budgets that have taken place in the last 30 months that homelessness funding has been ringfenced against cuts.

This has meant that total current funding for all homeless accommodation and related services was increased in 2009 by 5% in monetary terms to €62m. This represented an even greater increase in real terms. I am glad to be able to say that this higher level of funding is being maintained in 2010.

Protecting the homelessness budget will continue to be a priority for me.

In this financial climate it is also important that we rigorously evaluate the services we provide to ensure best outcomes for persons who are homeless. In this connection a process of reconfiguration of homeless services is being undertaken in Dublin with the objective of securing long term tenancies for homeless persons.

My Department has provided a national framework of policy, legislation and funding to underpin the role of housing authorities and approved housing bodies to address homelessness at local level. This includes an enhanced programme for procurement of accommodation, which was announced just before Easter, to advance the core strategic objective of eliminating long term homelessness and help housing authorities to meet their targets for accommodating homeless households in mainstream housing.

Delivery on this programme will be determined primarily by action on the part of the approved housing bodies and housing authorities and the response of market interests, including property owners and financial institutions.

Prevention of homelessness is very important and this ranges across the wide spectrum of persons who for various reasons and at various times of their lives have no homes. In the domestic violence area I understand that the relevant legislation aims to address the accountablilty of offenders and strengthen the protection of victims. The Domestic Violence Act 1996 is currently being reviewed to see what improvements can be made in this area.

My Department has inputted to the Government’s National Strategy on Domestic Sexual and Gender based violence, which was developed by Cosc and published in March this year. This input relates to priority actions to develop clear guidance for local authorities in relation to their housing role in terms of preventing/responding to homelessness arising from domestic violence and this will be supported by appropriate research in relation to the measures.

I would now like to concentrate on this National strategy which reflects the Government's commitment to tackling domestic and sexual violence crime. It is the result of extensive consultation with State and non-state services working in this area including, I'm glad to say, my own Department. I am aware that Safe Ireland had been involved in the process of developing the strategy through its involvement in the National Steering Committee on Violence against Women as well as through its own submissions to Cosc.

The Strategy represents a blueprint for more strategic and co-ordinated action in relation to domestic, sexual and gender-based violence in Ireland in the five-year period from early this year to the end of 2014.

Cosc has a ‘whole of Government‘ remit and its principal focus is to coordinate the implementation of the national strategy with all the Government Departments and state agencies which have responsibility for developing actions under the strategy. Just as the strategy was developed in a consultative fashion, including the experience of Government Departments and Agencies as well as NGOs, so too will the activities contained in the strategy be implemented in a partnership approach.

The main focus of the strategy is, on the one hand, to prevent the violence concerned and, on the other, to respond effectively to such violence. Ultimately the impact of the strategy will be fewer victims of domestic and sexual violence, better services for those who are victims and increased accountability by perpetrators. The strategy places a high value on evaluation and evidence-based policy planning. This is critical to ensure effective interventions and best public value.

The strategy is very much an action-focussed one. Not only does it outline actions and activities, it sets out clear targets against which progress on implementation will be measured.

Given your affiliated organisations’ role in delivery of services including accommodation, counselling, advice you no doubt are very interested in the work in the strategy to promote high quality standards in service delivery for victims and to strengthen intra and inter organisational co-ordination. In addition the strategy includes specific actions to improve protection and support for victims through improvements to counselling as well as ensuring effectiveness in housing responses and the co-location of services in one stop shop setting.

The strategy aims to provide a clear direction for all government action on domestic violence across all the departments and agencies concerned. This should lead to more co-ordinated and effective action in relation to victims and perpetrators.

The national strategy's vision is that by the end of 2014 there will be clearer societal acknowledgment of the unacceptability of domestic violence. There will be greater recognition and a broader understanding of such violence. There will be greater confidence in high-quality and consistent services for victims of the violence. Crucially too there will be increased safety for victims, and potential victims, as well as increased accountability of the perpetrators.

The strategy takes account of the present difficult economic climate. The implementation of actions in the strategy should not involve a great financial outlay but rather it will involve a new approach to working and inter-agency co-operation. This is timely given that this is a period when all organisations are reviewing their purpose and how they work. Indeed, a successful implementation of this strategy will ultimately help to increase efficiency and effectiveness, and reduce the financial burden on the State that arises as a result of domestic violence, in addition of course to the horrific personal human cost. Recognising the economic challenges, and the current state of interventions in Ireland, it is realistic to expect the strategy to provide a strong framework for sustainable intervention to prevent and effectively respond to domestic violence.

The actions under the national strategy are being implemented by those NGOs, government departments and state agencies whose work has a direct impact on victims of domestic violence. But we cannot just leave it to them. Domestic violence is a problem for all of our society and everyone is affected by that violence, directly or indirectly. We must all play our part in building confidence amongst victims, that not only will they be believed if they report the abuse but that we will be understanding of their difficult situation and that we will support them as service providers or neighbours.

The implementation of this strategy provides a clear direction to achieve this vision and this Government is strongly committed to its implementation.

Many thanks for your attention.