Domestic, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence: Motion
Seanad Éireann — 2026-05-12
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Anne Rabbitte (FF), Nominated by the Taoiseach

I thank the Minister very much for his comprehensive response. It is greatly appreciated. Work is being done on the Criminal Law and Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill, the Guardianship of Infants (Amendment) Bill and the domestic violence Bill, which will be known as Jennie's law. There are also the plan and the focus for the EU Presidency and the fourth national strategy. It is very welcome to see the work that is ongoing with the Minister and officials in the Department and I recognise it involves not only that Department. We also see the work that needs to be done by the Department of Children, Disability and Equality.
I thank everybody who has contributed to this afternoon's conversation. It has been really worthwhile. It is important to keep the focus on this and keep it on the agenda at all times. We have heard the statistics with regard to every 15 minutes and with regard to one child every hour. There is an obligation on us to keep this conversation alive and keep it very real in our communities. Any one of us who has an office and a phone knows this too well. We have had too many phone calls from women trying to flee the home and to understand what the next steps are like. I thank Senator Comyn for her contribution on where we will move on to and our next steps. We need to have practical solutions for how we can keep people safe in their communities while letting them have the opportunity to live with dignity in their communities, with their children attending their local schools while they continue to be in the workforce.
I again thank the Minister for all the work being done in the Department. It is greatly appreciated. I thank him also for coming back to the House to keep us informed and abreast, and to keep us on target to ensure that refuge spaces are being delivered and that the Bills are progressing through the various Stages.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-05-12/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:55+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-05-12