Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence
Seanad Éireann — 2026-04-28
============================================================

Fiona O'Loughlin (FF), Administrative Panel

I thank the Minister for being here today. I know from previous conversations that he took this by the horns. I also thank my colleague, Senator Stephenson, for bringing this to the Minister's attention. My colleague Senator Rabbitte and I have worked closely with him, as have many of our other colleagues. There is no doubt that we have to put a number of different supports in place for those who are suffering from domestic abuse, which is an absolute scourge on our society. A cross-departmental and cross-government approach must be taken. That is why it is incredibly welcome that the Minister is playing his part in bringing something very significant to the table.
In my county of Kildare, there is a very concerning rise in domestic and gender-based violence. Over two years, there has been a staggering 30% increase. Organisations like Teach Tearmainn do an excellent job. Teach Tearmainn gives a lot of support not just to those who are in the refuge, but to those who are outside of it, with the courts and so on. However, it is struggling to keep up with the numbers. While we do have strong local services and dedicated front-line staff, their efforts are often hindered when individuals cannot physically access help. That is why travel supports are not a luxury, but an essential lifeline. Against this backdrop, the importance of travel supports cannot be overstated. Access to safe and reliable transport can be a critical barrier for those who are trying to escape domestic and gender-based violence and ensure some normality for their children in terms of going to school and so on.
Many victims, particularly in rural areas, simply do not have the means to travel to refuges, court services or vital support organisations. That is why this is an absolute key step change. I thank the Minister for all the work he has put into this debate. Today is a red-letter day in terms of the supports that can be offered.

---

Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted.

Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-04-28/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:52+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-04-28