Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions
Dail Éireann — 2026-01-21
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Ivana Bacik (LAB), Dublin Bay South

I thank the Taoiseach for his response. There is one very practical measure that Women's Aid has recommended could and should be adopted by An Garda Síochána immediately following this very disturbing case. There needs to be clear guidelines on how the Garda addresses a situation where a report of violence is made against a serving garda. These guidelines need to be easily accessible to the public, so that victims or survivors can be reassured and are not deterred from coming forward. In particular, they must be reassured that complaints will be dealt with seriously and expeditiously because, as the Taoiseach rightly says, the length of time in this case is a matter of particular concern.
Speaking more generally, we do know that, as I said, this is one incident in what is an absolute scourge of violent incidents against women. Domestic violence kills. We have seen far too many women killed in the context of their homes and their intimate relationships, by abusive partners. Since 2021, more than half of all murders in Ireland have had a domestic violence motivation. This is chilling.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-01-21/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-31T01:00:51+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-01-21