Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 17 Oct 1996

Vol. 470 No. 3

Adjournment Debate. - Clare Haven (Clare) House Project.

Mr. Killeen

Tá buíochas liom freisin leis an Ceann Comhairle cead a thabhart dom an abhar seo a phlé sa Dáil.

The Clare Haven House Project is a voluntary organisation set up to provide accommodation, information and support to women and children who are being physically, emotionally and sexually abused in their homes.

The project workers have sought funding from the Minister through the Mid-Western Health Board over a number of years. In the first year they wish to provide their current services as well as a public office, advice visits, workshops and one permanent member of staff. The amount requested for that year is £41,700. In 1995 the project was allocated £5,000 through lottery funding by the Mid-Western Health Board, but from the start of 1996 to date no money has been provided. The women involved are devoting a great deal of their time to setting up this important service and they cannot continue to provide the service from voluntary contributions.

In case anybody might think that there is not a need for the service being provided, it is interesting to consider the relevant figures for County Clare. In 1993-94 50 protection orders and 81 barring orders were granted in the county, in 1994-95 56 protection orders and 79 barring orders were granted and from 1996 to date 51 protection orders and 60 barring orders were granted and eight new safety orders have been put in place under the recent legislation.

Despite the alarmingly high numbers of orders granted, it is estimated that no more than 10 per cent of women in abusive relationships go to court. In September 1996 20 women sought the support of Clare Haven House and the need for it has been clearly established. The cost of funding it are substantial and there are many claims on the Minister's resources, but the project workers have put forward an excellent submission for the funding required to the Mid-Western Health Board, which presumably it will pass on to the Minister.

Services of this nature were not available to women in County Clare until 1993 when the project workers got together and set up Clare Haven House. The work being done on a voluntary basis by these women is extraordinarily successful. Unfortunately it is necessary and requires State support. At a time when wrong signals have been sent out to vulnerable women from this House, I urge the Minister to carefully consider their case for funding and deal with it in accordance with the resources available to him. Since a major part of the project is the provision of a safe refuge for a number of women and children, he should ensure that sufficient funding is made available to enable that project develop in an effective manner.

Mr. O'Shea

I am pleased to have this opportunity to address the House and I would like to assure all present that I am fully aware of the excellent support services provided by Clare Haven House to women and children who are the victims of domestic violence in County Clare. The project is in ongoing contact with the Mid-Western Health Board and over the last number of years has received financial assistance from the board. In November 1995 a grant of £6,000 was paid to Clare Haven House from the national lottery block grant through the Mid-Western Health Board. In April 1996 further funding was paid to it by the board in connection with initiatives concerning women's health and in June of this year funding was provided to it to cover the cost of public information material.

I would like to explain to the House that the principal emergency residential care and support service for victims of domestic violence in the mid-west region is provided at Adapt House, Rosbrien, Limerick. Each year over 100 families are provided with a residential service, including an average of 12 families from County Clare.

Officers of the Mid-Western Health Board are in ongoing contact with Clare Haven House and have encouraged the development of locally based services in County Clare which are complementary to the regional residential service provided at the Adapt refuge. Such services would include counselling, public education and information and post discharge support services. I have been assured by the board that proposals for further service developments at Clare Haven House in 1997 will be considered by the board in the context of available funding for the development of child care and family support services.

I am committed to the development of appropriate services within the health area for victims of domestic violence. The discussion document, Developing a Policy on Women's Health, launched earlier this year identifies services for victims of domestic violence as one of the priorities for the further enhancement of services to protect women's health. The document is the basis for consultation with all those interested in improving the health and welfare of Irish women, including those involved in the provision of services to victims of domestic violence. I fully recognise the essential role of women's refuges as a key element in the range of support services required to address the problem. I am particularly conscious of the fact that while comprehensive information on the number of women who are unable to obtain accommodation in women's refuges is not available, there does appear to a shortfall in the overall provision.

However, across a range of Government Departments, the Government is making determined efforts to address this perceived need. The Department of the Environment provides considerable financial assistance towards the development of women's refuges under the capital assistance scheme for voluntary organisations. In so far as my Department is concerned, provision has been made in recent years for a sum of £450,000 in capital grants towards the development of women's refuges in Dublin, Kerry, Galway and Dundalk. This year a grant of more than £100,000 has been made available to the Eastern Health Board towards the running cost of the new Bray women's refuge. In addition, increased financial support has been made available for counselling and telephone helpline services for victims of domestic violence.

I recognise that all those working with victims of domestic violence, women and children, in whatever capacity, are doing a superb job in what are often difficult and demanding circumstances and they fully deserve society's gratitude, respect and support. The provision of emergency refuge accommodation and other family support services, while necessary, deals only with the symptoms and does not confront the issue of violence. This is a much more complex issue and one which no Government Department or agency can tackle in isolation. The nature of the problem calls for a wide-ranging inter-agency and inter-disciplinary approach.

The Government, in response to recommendations made by Women's Aid concerning the need for an integrated response to problems associated with domestic violence, has decided to assign responsibility for co-ordinating policy on women and violence across Government Departments, to the office of the Tánaiste. The office has established a working group on violence against women, chaired by the Minister of State, Deputy Eithne Fitzgerald, on which the Department of Health and health boards are represented. The working group is due to report to Government in February 1997. The Department of Health and the health boards are co-operating fully with the office of the Tánaiste to ensure that the health services play a full role in protecting women and children from violence and in providing services for victims of violence.