I think the Minister of State should welcome this legislation. I think in some of what he said, he has, but this timed amendment of 12 months is disappointing. We live in a society in which we have seen, in the last decade and a half or two, the explosion of harm against women and often their children. It has become quite scary for women in this country and worldwide. It is to keep us in our boxes and to make sure we do not go any further. The guys want to have their say still, albeit in an aggressive and violent manner. Being the spokesperson for domestic and gender-based violence in my party, my concentration will be on those fleeing or attempting to flee domestic and gender-based violence. I acknowledge the recent introduction of the protocol for transfer by the Minister, Deputy Browne. I think it was last week. Again, as my colleague, Deputy Ó Broin, has said, it needs to be in the Statute Book. A protocol is a bit wishy-washy - no offence meant. It does not give robustness and comfort to those trying to flee terror and flee those who would harm them and, in some cases, take their lives. I think three women have lost their lives in this country in the last week and a bit. That is significant. That shows that we need to be urgent about it. A timed amendment of 12 months does not cut the mustard, to be honest. There are often years of trauma and violence. Every one of us in our constituency office will deal with women coming in and I see the terror on their faces. It takes them a good few visits before they actually say that they need to leave and that they do not know how much longer they can stay safe there. We know the time when women leave is often the most dangerous time for them and their children. The refuges are often very full and oversubscribed. They often turn away people. I think they turned away several hundred women and their families in the last few months. It is concerning. Housing is a human right. Protection of bodily integrity, of mental well-being and of safety is a human right. We need to act with that lens. It is so heartbreaking for me and everybody in constituencies who come across it. I am trained, to some extent, with my previous profession, but most of our staff are not. I have made sure a lot of Sinn Féin office staff have been trained in how to deal with it because it can be overwhelming as it is on the increase. There is a timed amendment on this legislation, which would allow a simple and practical issue that somebody cannot live next door, on the same street or in the same neighbourhood as their abuser. It is a no-brainer. It is about trying to get away to settle somewhere, to feel safe somewhere and to add to another community that will promote family life, safety and the joy of living from day to day as opposed to always looking behind in terror at what has been done. It could be a simple thing. I have taken the differences throughout the councils throughout the country into account. Surely that is what Committee Stage is there for. I am not sure about the 12-month delay. It will still have to go to Committee Stage regardless, so maybe we should do a robust Committee Stage on this. I urge the Minister of State to introduce this. We cannot sit back. This is too urgent for over half the population in this country. The exclusion of HAP and RAS from the protocol is also concerning. As Deputy Ó Broin said, 50,000 households would not be eligible if they were to try to avail of this. It is incumbent on us to care for our communities and society and give very basic care so that someone who needs to is able to say: “I am out of here. I am gone. I do not want to leave a trace behind me. I want to go somewhere where I will not bump into this person.” Kids will be traumatised as well. That person will be able to avoid bumping into someone who means them harm and has probably harmed them for years. I urge the Minister of State to roll back on that. Committee Stage is the place to battle all this out.

Sentiment score: -0.07