I welcome Jennie's law. The publicly available register of judgments will be a life-saving resource, as people in relationships or considering relationships will be able to see whether people have histories of domestic violence convictions. I thank Jennie Poole's family, particularly Jason, for the work they have done on this in recent years. I have no doubt that, without them, we would not be where we are today. This could not come at a more crucial time. We are only halfway through 2026 and the number of women killed in Ireland has already overtaken the figure for all of last year. Today's events in Ballymena echo this as it continues. There is an epidemic of violence against women. It is not stopping. It is clear that there has been a demand for domestic violence services in Donegal in recent days. Domestic abuse is increasing and becoming more and more complex. I spoke in depth with Jessica Gallagher, who is clinical director of the Uplift Project. She works alongside women who are affected by domestic abuse, coercive control and sexual violence in Donegal. She said that demand for the service demonstrates the scale of unmet need. The service receives 20 contacts from service users each day and five new referrals every week. It is clear that there is a significant gap between the crisis intervention and long-term recovery, with many victims shockingly being left to source their own support. I was particularly struck by the case in Donegal of a woman in her 60s who had been left with intergenerational trauma, depression and PTSD and had repeated suicidal crises, having suffered prolonged domestic abuse and sexual violence. She did not receive the substantial person-centred supports she desperately needed to rebuild her life. Support has to be extended beyond crisis intervention. Full and proper recovery requires long-term support and giving women the opportunity to truly rebuild their lives, yet organisations that provide essential life-saving services are often forced to continue to operate in uncertainty regarding funding, forcing them to devote valuable time and energy to securing resources instead of expanding supports to be available to victims and survivors. Vital services supporting victims should not have to compete for funding. Fundraising should not have to happen. It is a ridiculous situation that they rely on short-term grants to remain open. Domestic abuse funds should not be relocated and unspent funds in Donegal should remain in Donegal. These services should be recognised as essential public services and should be fully funded to allow people to continue this life-saving work.

Sentiment score: -0.18