Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence
Seanad Éireann — 2026-04-28
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Patricia Stephenson (SD), Labour Panel

I also welcome the students from Castlecomer. I also warmly welcome the Minister, Deputy Calleary, to the Chamber today. Last October, I introduced the Domestic Violence (Free Travel Scheme) Bill 2025, which was to provide for three months of free travel to people fleeing domestic violence to support them to rebuild their lives. This Bill was intended as a small measure to support survivors who have no means of escaping a violent home. Of course, it was designed as only one intervention to strengthen the overall protection of survivors in tandem with other supports. Since October, I have been working with the Minister to roll out the scheme and I am delighted that he has come here today to launch it. I thank him for this commitment to this issue. He expressed his commitment last October and he has followed through. I note that and I note his collaboration. It has been a pleasure to bring this forward collaboratively.
My Bill acknowledged that leaving is not a single act. It can take months or years and, for many women, it comes with a significant cost. Fleeing to a refuge that is far from your workplace, from your child's school, from your family and from court results in additional travel costs. This is a highly traumatic period that takes immense courage. The introduction of a non-means-tested travel supplement for people living in this nightmare situation recognises that financial burden and aims to alleviate some of that pressure.
Domestic violence is an epidemic in our society. This year alone, we have seen five women tragically killed on the island of Ireland: in the North, Amy Doherty and Ellie Flanagan; and, in the South, Scarlett Faulkner, Linda Costello and Milena Ostojic. I offer my sincere condolences to their loved ones, who now must tragically comprehend life without them. Last year, 67,000 domestic violence-related calls were made to the Garda. That amounts to an average of one call related to domestic violence every eight minutes. That is an appallingly high figure.
When I researched my Bill, I engaged with front-line organisations and I heard directly from survivors about this gap in provision. There are many other gaps for survivors. Many of them are financial. Free legal aid has a threshold of €18,000 but many women suffering from financial abuse simply do not have access to their income or bank accounts and so are unable to pay lawyers or solicitors. That is a significant barrier to justice for them. Many women find themselves travelling incredibly long distances to court hearings. That is another major financial challenge. Courts are often weaponised by abusive partners who do not turn up to hearings and who drag the process out for months or years.
There are all financial burdens that come with fleeing domestic violence. That is why this initiative, despite being small and modest, will contribute to the overall protection of survivors. I again thank the Minister for bringing this to fruition and for following through on his commitment.

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Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:52+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-04-28