Brendan Smith urges refuge centre for Cavern-Monaghan, law change
Brendan Smith spoke on 13 May 2020 about policing, domestic abuse services and gaps in the law on movement restrictions. He called for an amendment to the law restricting movement, the establishment of a refuge in Cavern-Monaghan, and urgent supports for victims of domestic violence.
Policing and community support
Brendan Smith commended the work of personnel in the Department of Justice and agencies such as Angarda Shea Cána, noting community policing and visits to older and vulnerable people have been reassuring during the emergency. He said Angarda personnel, working with voluntary and statutory groups, have helped ensure families are not left without groceries or medical supplies.
Gaps in law and airport controls
He raised a lacuna in the law where Gardaí can restrict movements of persons resident in the State but not residents outside the jurisdiction, and he urged the Taoiseach and the Minister for Health to amend that law. He also called for no tolerance for people refusing to complete passenger locator forms at airports and ports.
Refuge provision in Cavern-Monaghan
Brendan Smith highlighted the absence of a refuge centre serving Cavern-Monaghan, describing it as a tragic situation for two large rural counties with no local refuge for women leaving domestic abuse. He said women have had to travel to neighbouring counties to seek emergency accommodation, disrupting schooling and family life, and urged that Cavern-Monaghan be prioritised in service plans for 2020.
Calls for emergency rent support and recognition of demand
He drew attention to correspondence from Thuysla indicating no funding for significant service developments in 2020 but ongoing planning, and he urged the Minister to prioritise the area. He referenced approaches from Safe Ireland and local groups such as Thurman Domestic Abuse Service, and asked the Minister to pursue Safe Ireland’s proposal for emergency rent supplement access for women and children needing immediate relocation during the COVID-19 emergency with the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection.
Direct provision centres and accommodation commitments
Brendan Smith noted detailed correspondence about conditions in direct provision centres and welcomed the ministerial reply, asking that commitments to improve accommodation and services for residents in those centres be expedited during these troubled times.
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Like my colleagues, deputies Jim O'Callum and Jennifer Mornan O'Connor, I appreciate the work of the personnel and the Department of Justice, including its agencies such as the Prison Service and Angarda Shea Cána. I commend the work of Angarda Shea Cána through these difficult times. Angarda personnel have been a reassuring presence in our communities. This work demonstrates clearly the value of community policing. Visiting older or vulnerable people has been very reassuring for so many individuals and families. Their work alongside voluntary and other statutory groups is important in ensuring that families are not left isolated or without grocery or medical supplies. I raise directly with the Taoiseach and also directly with the Minister for Health the lacuna in the law, where Gardaí are empowered, if necessary, to restrict the movements of persons in our state, but this power is not applicable to persons resident outside our jurisdiction. I believe, Minister, this law should be amended. Similarly, at our airports and ports, there should be no tolerance for people refusing to fill out the passenger locator forms. Minister, you may recall, as Minister Staunton won as well, that I raised the absence of a refuge centre in Cavern-Monaghan with you during recent justice debates, and I also raised that matter with the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs. We are all well aware that the number of women's refuge spaces in our state is well below our obligations under the Istanbul Convention. For a vast region like Cavern-Monaghan, two large rural counties, we have no refuge to support women leaving situations of domestic abuse. I know of women who have had to travel to different counties, to our neighbouring counties in Sligo, Mead and Lodh, to seek emergency accommodation. This is a tragic situation. We should be able to support these people in our own counties at a time when they are very vulnerable. Towards the end of 2019, I had correspondence from Thuysla, which indicated that funding would not be available for significant service developments in 2020. However, they also stated that they would continue to plan towards future developments. That followed our debate here on legislation in December. I sincerely hope, and I appeal to the Minister, to use his good offices to have the needs of Cavern-Monaghan prioritised. We must support women through their most harrowing experience. We have to ensure that adequate services are provided, and that people who are suffering through domestic violence have accommodation and support services when they need them. I commend the work of local groups, such as Thurman, Domestic Abuse Service in Cavern-Monaghan, and Safe Ireland at National Level, and other groups for their ongoing support of victims of domestic abuse. In many instances, they are providing much-needed services and accommodation on very limited budgets, services that should be provided by the State. Safe Ireland were in touch with your Department Minister at the end of April, seeking your support for a proposal they put directly to the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection. This specific proposal requests access to emergency rent supplement for women and children in need of immediate relocation as a result of domestic violence for a period of three months and or the duration of this COVID-19 national emergency. Minister, as you are taking the lead on behalf of the Government on tackling domestic violence during these troubled times, I would appeal to you to pursue this proposal directly with Minister Daugherty. I understand that centres providing services are experiencing a significant increase in demand for those services due to the rise in domestic violence, which we know of through reports from Angard the Siobana, and that is also evidenced internationally as well. Minister, I would appeal to you to have the provision of a refuge centre of the Camp and Monaghan area given priority attention and the service plans for 2020. I instance in earlier at all debates and earlier today that people seeking such accommodation services have to travel to Louth, Mead or Sligo from parts of Camp and Monaghan. That's not acceptable because in some instances, children are attending school in normal times and they cannot go back to their normal school if they are so distant from their home where they should be living but had to leave because of violence. Minister, I mention again the German service in Camp and Monaghan is very dependent on fundraising, as are other services throughout the country. They do great work, show great commitment and the personnel there provide that welcome and that much-needed support for people who are very, very vulnerable. So, Minister, we need to ensure that our obligations laid out in the Second National Strategy and those under the Istanbul Convention that they are honoured. Minister, with regard to direct problems for residents in direct provision centres, I had detailed correspondence with Minister Staunton. I appreciate his detailed reply to me and I would like that he would ensure that the commitments he made in that correspondence to follow up and ensure that much better accommodation and services for people in direct centres, that that could be expedited as much as possible during these very troubled times. Thank you, Mr Smith, thank you very much. Deputy Martin Kenney.
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