Absolutely. That would be nice.

Yesterday, I raised with the Taoiseach the very shocking case of Tori Towey. Tori is, as he knows, a 28-year old young woman from Roscommon. She is living and working in Dubai as an airline attendant, and she married last March. Since then, Tori has been subjected to sustained and brutal domestic violence and abuse. When she went to the authorities to seek help, instead of being protected, she was sent home with her husband. He then destroyed her passport so she could not travel and she could not work. She could not come back to Ireland. Tori was, in effect, held captive by her abuser. Just over two weeks ago, she endured a particularly vicious beating. Her husband repeatedly slammed doors on her arms, trying to break her limbs, and tried to strangle her. She fled upstairs in a desperate attempt to escape the violence and, in desperation, tried to take her own life. When Tori came to, she was surrounded by paramedics, but instead of being taken to a hospital, she was taken to a police station. There, she was charged with attempted suicide and alcohol abuse. Tori was placed in a cell with 50 other women. She was not told what she was charged with. She was not given any information at all. Tori was released on bail but her passport was blocked. She is banned from leaving the state. She is currently living in accommodation with her mother, Caroline, who travelled to Dubai to support her. All of this happened on 28 June, nearly two weeks ago.

Tori's appalling situation came to my attention yesterday and to that of my colleague Deputy Claire Kerrane. We have raised this with the Taoiseach in the expectation that the Government will move with urgency to end this nightmare. I spoke with Tori and her mother again this morning. I know the Taoiseach has been speaking to them also. He is aware that they feel isolated and vulnerable. They told me that they feel like they are being held hostage. They are scared. The coming hours are crucial because once the Dubai court process kicks in, it will become harder to get Tori back home to Ireland quickly. Tori wants to come home. The Government must do absolutely everything to get her home. This is an Irish woman, an Irish citizen, and the message must go out loudly and clearly that we will not allow any Irish citizen to be treated in this way by anybody and that we will confront this medieval, grotesque treatment of women. Women are not chattel; we do not belong to men. Men do not own us. Tori Towey does not belong to her husband. She does not belong to Dubai. She belongs at home in Ireland. We will not rest until she is at home.

Tá Tori Towey i lár an tromluí is measa a bheadh ag gach bean. Caithfidh an Rialtas gach rud is féidir leis a dhéanamh chun í a thabhairt ar ais abhaile go hÉireann. When I raised this case with the Taoiseach yesterday and spoke to him subsequently, he said - and we agreed - that he would do everything he could to intervene to help Tori. Can he set out for us what steps he and the Government have taken in the past 24 hours to get Tori Towey home? The Dubai authorities must drop the charges against her, remove the travel ban, and allow this woman to travel home.

Hear, hear.

I agree with every word Deputy McDonald said on this issue. I thank her and Deputy Kerrane for engaging with me on this matter, along with Deputy Feighan. This is a really distressing case. It is important that everybody around the world, including in Dubai and the United Arab Emirates, know that we are speaking with one voice in this House on this situation.

An Irish woman - an Irish citizen - has been the victim of horrific male violence. She has been the victim of the most brutal, horrific attack one can imagine. After enduring that horrific, brutal attack, Tori Towey did not wake up in a hospital, being supported, cared for and loved, she woke up in a police station. We want Tori Towey back in this country. We want her back home in Roscommon. That is what she wants as well. It is absolutely my position, as Taoiseach, and that of the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs – as I know it is Deputy McDonald's position, and that of everybody in this House – that this is what must now happen, as a matter of urgency.

As Deputy McDonald stated, I did speak directly to Tori this morning, and to her mother, Caroline, who has flown out to be with her daughter at this extraordinarily distressing time. I told them that this is a big priority issue for me and the Government and that I am working on it right now with my officials and with the Tánaiste and his officials. Since we spoke on this matter yesterday, I have also spoken to our ambassador in the area. I acknowledge that the embassy and the ambassador are working extraordinarily hard on this matter. I am very confident of that from a number of engagements I have had with the ambassador and her team over the course of the past 24 hours. My understanding is that the embassy is in ongoing contact with Ms Towey. I checked that this morning. That is essential. It is the least an Irish citizen can expect. The ambassador has been in frequent and intense contact with the ministry for foreign affairs there and with the under secretary. I do not want to say too much more on the record of this House, because I do not want to say anything that cuts across the very intense effort that is under way, other than to assure Deputy McDonald, Tori and her mother, Caroline, and, most importantly, the people of this country that no effort will be spared by us, by Ireland, to make progress on this matter and to get Tori Towey home. She does not need to come home after a court case because she is not a criminal. She is a victim of gender-based violence. We expect her, as an Irish citizen, to be able to return here to Ireland without delay. That is what I, the Tánaiste and the ambassador will be working on throughout the day.

I thank the Taoiseach for that update. Let me just say this: Tori is not, as the Taoiseach says, a criminal. She is, in fact, a victim. Our first concern is to get Tori home safely, and that must happen immediately. These charges must be dropped and Tori and her mother Caroline must be allowed to travel home freely and unimpeded to Ireland and to Roscommon. That is the call from this Chamber today. I hope the authorities and the royalty in Dubai are listening very carefully to this message. This is not acceptable. It is not acceptable on any level. It is not acceptable for any woman. We are not objects. We are not chattel. We are not the possession of anybody. Our human rights matter and our safety matters. The safety of every Irish woman and every Irish citizen matters to us. We will not tolerate this situation. The Taoiseach agrees with me on that. I am glad that the contact with the embassy is so strong. That needs to continue. Every support, including a legal representative to act as an interlocutor with the authorities, needs to be firmed up for Tori. That is the bottom line.

Perhaps the ambassador from Dubai watches Oireachtas TV or RTÉ. There is no ambiguity in the point. We want Tori home and we want the charges dropped today. We want herself and Caroline to make their way back. The wider issue regarding the treatment of women and the abuse of our human rights in jurisdictions such as this also needs to be on our diplomatic agenda very firmly.

I thank Deputy McDonald. Absolutely, step one is to get Tori and her mother, who is out there actively supporting her at this very distressing time, home. For this to happen, the travel ban needs to be lifted. It is the current block in terms of Tori coming home. The immediate request and demand of Ireland is that this happens. With regard to the issue of legal representation, I am advised that free legal aid will be made available but I share Deputy McDonald's view that it should not arise because Tori is not a criminal. She needs to get home. She has been a victim of gender-based violence. The free legal aid is there but it should not arise, in my view.

We have had a lot of worthy and important discussion in the House. Indeed, a debate has just concluded in the past few minutes on the issue of a zero-tolerance approach to domestic, sexual and gender-based violence. We take this approach to Irish citizens who live here and we expect it to be afforded to all Irish citizens across the world. In addition, we also expect to be a country that will continue to speak up, speak out and advocate for a zero-tolerance approach to domestic, sexual and gender-based violence for any woman anywhere in the world. The most important thing right now in the Tori Towey case is to get her home, get her back to Ireland and get the travel ban lifted. I will continue to engage with Deputy McDonald and keep the House informed.

I notice that in the Distinguished Visitors Gallery there is a very great friend of Ireland, the right honourable Trevor Mallard, who is New Zealand's ambassador to this country. I ask Members to give him a big warm welcome.