A NEW OIREACHTAS special committee will focus on the prevention of and response to domestic, sexual and gender-based violence. 

The committee, which will be formally get established today, will replace the Oireachtas drugs committee, which concluded its work and published its final report last week. 

The new committee will begin its work in the autumn and will have a two-year remit. 

It is understood that People Before Profit-Solidarity TD Ruth Coppinger will chair the committee. 

It comes after the Oireachtas justice committee published 26 recommendations in a report, including calls for the introduction of a statutory obligation under which any convictions or court orders handed down to a garda for domestic, sexual or gender-based violence must be disclosed, formally recorded and communicated to relevant oversight bodies.

The rate of domestic violence incidents reported to gardaí has risen by 10% in the first four months of the year, compared with the same period last year, according to data released by An Garda Síochána.

Sinn Féin spokesperson for Equality, Domestic and Gender Violence, Máire Devine today welcomed the setting up of the new committee, stating that she hopes it will help coordinate massive efforts to tackle domestic violence.