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1544368

registered interest
date	22/11/2022
answering body	Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
answering dept id	211
answering dept short name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
answering dept sort name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
hansard heading	Domestic Abuse
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how much funding his Department will provide for domestic violence refuges in each of the next three years.
tabling member constituency	Poplar and Limehouse
tabling member printed	Apsana Begum
uin	93678
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/12/2022 answer text <p>Local authorities are funded to meet their duties, included in the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, to provide support for victims of domestic abuse and their children within safe accommodation including refuges.</p><p>We have already provided £125 million to local authorities in each of 2021/22 and 2022/23, and will be announcing the 2023/24 and 2024/25 allocations shortly.</p> answering member constituency Kensington answering member printed Felicity Buchan question first answered 01/12/2022 10:07:51 answering member 4821 label Biography information for Felicity Buchan
tabling member	4790 label Biography information for Apsana Begum

1544375

registered interest
date	22/11/2022
answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
hansard heading	Domestic Abuse
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the impact of (a) domestic abuse and (b) coercive control on the health of people affected.
tabling member constituency	Poplar and Limehouse
tabling member printed	Apsana Begum
uin	93685
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/11/2022 answer text <p>No recent assessment has made. However, the Department is working with the Office for National Statistics to explore how insights from health data can improve the understanding of violence against women and girls. The information generated will be used to improve services and women and girls’ experiences and inform interventions on violence against women and girls.</p> answering member constituency Harborough answering member printed Neil O'Brien question first answered 29/11/2022 14:47:54 answering member 4679 label Biography information for Neil O'Brien
tabling member	4790 label Biography information for Apsana Begum

1544216

registered interest
date	21/11/2022
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Domestic Abuse
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the impact of the Defamation Act 2013 on victims of domestic abuse and coercive control.
tabling member constituency	Poplar and Limehouse
tabling member printed	Apsana Begum
uin	92371
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/11/2022 answer text <p>A Post-Legislative Memorandum reviewing the impact of the Defamation Act 2013 was published in October 2019. The broad conclusion is that the Act ensures the right balance in law is achieved; that free speech is not unjustifiably impeded by actual or threatened libel proceedings, while ensuring that people who have been libelled are able to protect their reputation.</p><p>The fear of being threatened with libel should never stop anyone from reporting abuse.</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar question first answered 25/11/2022 14:24:37 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
tabling member	4790 label Biography information for Apsana Begum

1544217

registered interest
date	21/11/2022
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Domestic Abuse
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to stop perpetrators of domestic abuse misusing the court system to maintain control over former or current partners.
tabling member constituency	Poplar and Limehouse
tabling member printed	Apsana Begum
uin	92372
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/11/2022 answer text <p>Protecting victims of domestic abuse remains a priority for this Government. A range of protective orders can already be made in the family court, including non-molestation and occupation orders.</p><p>The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 strengthened the law on section 91(14) orders (‘barring orders’) making it clearer that these orders are available to the family court to protect parents and children where further proceedings would risk causing them harm, particularly where further proceedings could be a form of continuing domestic abuse. The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 also prohibits alleged perpetrators of abuse from directly cross-examining their victims in person in family and civil courts in England and Wales. The Act further provides that victims of domestic abuse will be automatically eligible for special measures in all courts.</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar question first answered 29/11/2022 15:13:40 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
tabling member	4790 label Biography information for Apsana Begum

1544219

registered interest
date	21/11/2022
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Domestic Abuse
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of adequacy of the treatment victims of coercive control and domestic abuse by the criminal justice system.
tabling member constituency	Poplar and Limehouse
tabling member printed	Apsana Begum
uin	92373
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/11/2022 answer text <p>Our landmark Domestic Abuse Act 2021 is bolstering our response to domestic abuse on every level, strengthening protections for victims whilst also ensuring perpetrators feel the full force of the law. On 30 March this year, we went even further and published the cross-Government Tackling Domestic Abuse Plan. The Plan seeks to transform the whole of society’s response to prevent offending, support victims, pursue perpetrators, and strengthen the systems and processes in place to deliver these goals.</p><p>Controlling or coercive behaviour can persist and often increase post-separation – which is why the Domestic Abuse Act amended the offence. This means that it will soon apply to intimate partners, ex-partners or family members, regardless of whether the victim and perpetrator live together. To further assist frontline agencies in identifying, investigating and evidencing such abuse , we are updating the Controlling or Coercive Behaviour Statutory Guidance.</p><p>In the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, the Government also legislated for a new Domestic Abuse Protection Notice and Order, to be piloted from Spring 2024, which will go even further in protecting victims from all forms of domestic abuse. This includes making the order available in all courts and making breach a criminal offence. The order will have no minimum or maximum duration and will be able to impose electronic monitoring requirements.</p><p>The criminal justice system’s response to domestic abuse continues to improve, and this is reflected in the number of controlling or coercive behaviour offences that have reached a first hearing at a magistrates’ court having increased year on year. From 2016/17– the first year in which controlling or coercive behaviour cases reached this stage of the criminal justice system – to 2017/18, for instance, numbers increased threefold from 309 to 960. The number has since increased to 1,403 in 2020/21.</p><p>It is vital that police are able to effectively respond to domestic abuse, which is why controlling or coercive behaviour is covered extensively in the Domestic Abuse Matters training for police, with a 2020 evaluation of the programme showing a 41% increase in arrests for the offence. To strengthen the police response to domestic abuse and controlling or coercive behaviour, in the 2021 Domestic Abuse Plan, we committed up to £3.3m until 2025 to support the further rollout of this training.</p> answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp grouped question UIN 92374 question first answered 29/11/2022 11:37:56 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp
tabling member	4790 label Biography information for Apsana Begum

1544220

registered interest
date	21/11/2022
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Domestic Abuse
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure that victims of coercive control and domestic abuse are protected from harassment outside of the home including post separation harassment.
tabling member constituency	Poplar and Limehouse
tabling member printed	Apsana Begum
uin	92374
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/11/2022 answer text <p>Our landmark Domestic Abuse Act 2021 is bolstering our response to domestic abuse on every level, strengthening protections for victims whilst also ensuring perpetrators feel the full force of the law. On 30 March this year, we went even further and published the cross-Government Tackling Domestic Abuse Plan. The Plan seeks to transform the whole of society’s response to prevent offending, support victims, pursue perpetrators, and strengthen the systems and processes in place to deliver these goals.</p><p>Controlling or coercive behaviour can persist and often increase post-separation – which is why the Domestic Abuse Act amended the offence. This means that it will soon apply to intimate partners, ex-partners or family members, regardless of whether the victim and perpetrator live together. To further assist frontline agencies in identifying, investigating and evidencing such abuse , we are updating the Controlling or Coercive Behaviour Statutory Guidance.</p><p>In the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, the Government also legislated for a new Domestic Abuse Protection Notice and Order, to be piloted from Spring 2024, which will go even further in protecting victims from all forms of domestic abuse. This includes making the order available in all courts and making breach a criminal offence. The order will have no minimum or maximum duration and will be able to impose electronic monitoring requirements.</p><p>The criminal justice system’s response to domestic abuse continues to improve, and this is reflected in the number of controlling or coercive behaviour offences that have reached a first hearing at a magistrates’ court having increased year on year. From 2016/17– the first year in which controlling or coercive behaviour cases reached this stage of the criminal justice system – to 2017/18, for instance, numbers increased threefold from 309 to 960. The number has since increased to 1,403 in 2020/21.</p><p>It is vital that police are able to effectively respond to domestic abuse, which is why controlling or coercive behaviour is covered extensively in the Domestic Abuse Matters training for police, with a 2020 evaluation of the programme showing a 41% increase in arrests for the offence. To strengthen the police response to domestic abuse and controlling or coercive behaviour, in the 2021 Domestic Abuse Plan, we committed up to £3.3m until 2025 to support the further rollout of this training.</p> answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp grouped question UIN 92373 question first answered 29/11/2022 11:37:56 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp
tabling member	4790 label Biography information for Apsana Begum

1521359

registered interest
date	12/10/2022
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Domestic Abuse
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether post separation abuse is a prosecutable offence under the Domestic Abuse Act 2021.
tabling member constituency	Truro and Falmouth
tabling member printed	Cherilyn Mackrory
uin	62123
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/10/2022 answer text <p>Sections 1 and 2 of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 included a strengthened definition of domestic abuse which recognises abuse can take place post separation.</p><p>Section 1 sets out that the relationship between an individual being abused and the perpetrator is one where they are ‘personally connected’. Section 2 expands what is meant by ‘personally connected’ and is explicit this includes instances where to people “are, or have been” in various forms of relationship, including marriage, civil partnerships, and intimate personal relationships.</p><p>The Domestic Abuse Statutory Guidance, issued by the Home Secretary under Section 84 of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, includes specific references to post-separation abuse, acknowledging “abuse can continue or intensify when a relationship has ended.”</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 20/10/2022 15:34:09 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	4758 label Biography information for Cherilyn Mackrory

1506380

registered interest
date	08/09/2022
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Domestic Abuse
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what measures are in place to protect female victims of domestic abuse during a police investigation.
tabling member constituency	Ashfield
tabling member printed	Lee Anderson
uin	49781
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/09/2022 answer text <p>This Government is committed to protecting all victims of domestic abuse and is working in partnership with police forces across England and Wales to keep victims safe.</p><p>The police have measures at their disposal to protect victims of domestic abuse during a police investigation. These include pre-charge bail conditions and protective orders such as Domestic Violence Protection Orders (DVPO). Following an incident of violence, or the threat of violence, the police can apply for a Domestic Violence Protection Notice (DVPN) to provide immediate protection to the victim for 48 hours by, for example, prohibiting the person subject to the notice from contacting the victim. The DVPN is then followed by a DVPO in a magistrate’s court.</p><p>In the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, the Government committed to launching a new Domestic Abuse Protection Notice and Order, to be piloted from next year. These will go even further in protecting victims from all forms of domestic abuse. This will include making a breach of a new order a criminal offence and having no minimum or maximum duration. The Government is currently undergoing extensive work to prepare the new order for piloting from next year.</p><p> </p><p>To strengthen the police response to cases of domestic abuse and help domestic abuse victims and survivors, the Government also committed in the Tackling Domestic Abuse Plan up to £3.3 million over three years to support the rollout of the Domestic Abuse Matters training, to forces which have yet to deliver it, or do not have their own specific domestic abuse training. This training developed by the College of Policing in conjunction with SafeLives and with input from Women’s Aid, aims to ensure the police know how to best respond to victims of domestic abuse, understanding its impact on victims, and standardises the police response to domestic abuse.</p><p> </p><p>We continue to work closely with the College to encourage the remaining forces to take up the Domestic Abuse Matters programme.</p><p> </p><p>The Home Office is also planning to double funding for survivors of sexual violence and the National Domestic Abuse Helpline by 2024-25, and further increase funding for all the national helplines it supports. Our Tackling Domestic Abuse Plan invests £140 million to support victims, including over £47 million in ringfenced funding for victims’ services and £27 million is currently ringfenced funding for 700 ISVAs and IDVAs.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 22/09/2022 16:40:57 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	4743 label Biography information for Lee Anderson

1506381

registered interest
date	08/09/2022
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Domestic Abuse
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what protections are in place for spouses who are victims of domestic abuse seeking a divorce.
tabling member constituency	Ashfield
tabling member printed	Lee Anderson
uin	49782
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/09/2022 answer text <p>Tackling domestic abuse is a key priority for this Government and we are committed to protecting all victims of domestic abuse. To gain protection during divorce proceedings, victims can apply for a protection order. A Non-Molestation Order protects the victim and relevant child from abuse or harassment and an Occupation Order can prevent the person subject to the order from coming near to the family home. In addition, following an incident of violence, or the threat of violence, the police can apply for a Domestic Violence Protection Notice (DVPN) to provide immediate protection to the victim, which can then be followed by a Domestic Violence Protection Order in a magistrate's court.</p><p>The landmark Domestic Abuse Act 2021 introduces a wide-ranging definition of domestic abuse, and further protection to the millions of people who experience domestic abuse and strengthens measures to bring perpetrators to justice. The Act introduced the new Domestic Abuse Protection Notice (DAPN) and Domestic Abuse Protection Order (DAPO), which will provide flexible, longer-term protection for victims from all forms of domestic abuse. The Government is currently undergoing extensive work to prepare the new order for piloting from next year.</p><p>The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 also extends the controlling and coercive behaviour offence to apply to ex-partners or family members who do not live together to ensure the protection of individuals from harm after separation or divorce.</p><p>Accompanying this legislation, in July 2022, the Government published detailed statutory guidance to ensure that domestic abuse is properly understood by public agencies seeking to tackle this abhorrent crime and provide appropriate support to victims.</p><p>The guidance outlines the many forms domestic abuse can take, including in a marital setting and the barriers preventing victims from seeking a divorce. It also recognises specific forms of faith related abuse including coercion to enter into a marriage and the withholding of a religious divorce, as a threat to control and intimidate victims which can be present in different forms under different faiths. The guidance makes clear that safeguarding remains the utmost priority and all victims should be encouraged by the agencies and organisations they encounter to take appropriate steps to protect themselves from harm.</p><p>The Home Office is also planning to double funding for survivors of sexual violence and the National Domestic Abuse Helpline by 2024-25, and further increase funding for all the national helplines it supports. Our Tackling Domestic Abuse Plan invests £140 million to support victims, including over £47 million in ringfenced funding for victims’ services and £27 million is currently ringfenced funding for 700 ISVAs and IDVAs.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 22/09/2022 16:41:27 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	4743 label Biography information for Lee Anderson

1503385

registered interest
date	02/09/2022
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Domestic Abuse
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent engagement her Department has had with charities helping to tackle violence against women and girls.
tabling member constituency	Ilford South
tabling member printed	Sam Tarry
uin	45045
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/09/2022 answer text <p>In July 2021, the Government published a cross-Government Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Strategy to help ensure that women and girls are safe everywhere – at home, at work, online and on the streets. This was followed by the complementary Tackling Domestic Abuse Plan, published in March 2022.</p><p>In developing these strategies, we engaged closely with charities and organisations on the frontline supporting victims of VAWG, including domestic abuse. We also worked with police and other public agencies, as well as engaging victims with lived experience through the public Call for Evidence, which received an unprecedented 180,000 responses. We held stakeholder roundtables with representatives from both the charity and public sector, held focus groups with expert organisations and professionals and received written submissions from expert respondents which provided information on scope, scale, and prevalence of these crimes.</p><p>In November 2021, as part of wider Domestic Abuse Act 2021 implementation, the role of Domestic Abuse Commissioner was placed on a statutory footing to represent victims through engagement with the sector and promoting best practice in the response to domestic abuse. The Home Office also ran wide-reaching public consultations for the recently published Domestic Abuse Statutory Guidance and draft Controlling or Coercive Behaviour Statutory Guidance, inviting all interested stakeholders to respond.</p><p>We also hold regular VAWG stakeholder engagement meetings to keep the sector directly informed of upcoming work and developments in this area, respond to questions and invite stakeholder feedback.</p> answering member constituency Derby North answering member printed Amanda Solloway grouped question UIN 45046 question first answered 06/09/2022 15:30:35 answering member 4372 label Biography information for Amanda Solloway
tabling member	4829 label Biography information for Sam Tarry