The Government is committed to ensuring that the police and other frontline agencies have the tools they need to respond effectively to domestic violence and abuse.
We launched an eight week consultation last August to ask whether the law around domestic abuse needs to be strengthened and subsequently announced we would create a specific offence of domestic abuse which captures coercive and
controlling behaviour.
The offence will be introduced as a Government amendment to the Serious Crime Bill and will impose a maximum five years imprisonment, a fine, or both.<\/p>
<\/p>
<\/p>
<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1531", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Baroness Featherstone"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Hornsey and Wood Green"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Lynne Featherstone"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2015-01-13", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "previousAnswerVersion" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/172569/answer/previousversion/37906", "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1531", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Baroness Featherstone"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Hornsey and Wood Green"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Lynne Featherstone"} } , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2015-01-13T14:35:50.453Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Home Office"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Home Office"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2015-01-07", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Domestic Abuse"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her policy is on making domestic violence a specific criminal offence.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4105", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Justin Tomlinson"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "North Swindon"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Justin Tomlinson"} ], "uin" : "220007"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/62741", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Women and Equalities"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/62741/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
I have regular meetings and discussions with my colleagues on this and other matters affecting women and equality including attending the Violence Against Women and Girls Inter-Ministerial Group, working with ministerial colleagues to coordinate policy on tackling this abhorrent crime. Also, officials from the Government Equalities Office work closely with Home Office colleagues on this policy area and recently co-hosted an event working with employers to recognise and support employees who are victims of domestic violence<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4027", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Baroness Morgan of Cotes"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Loughborough"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Nicky Morgan"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2014-06-23", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2014-06-23T13:37:59.9148562Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "31"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Women and Equalities"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Women and Equalities"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2014-06-18", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Domestic Abuse"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Ministers for Women and Equalities, what recent discussions the Government Equalities Office has had with the Home Office about ending domestic abuse and violence against women.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4105", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Justin Tomlinson"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "North Swindon"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Justin Tomlinson"} ], "uin" : "201226"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/62337", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Home Office"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/62337/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
<\/p>
<\/p>
Domestic violence is a dreadful form of abuse and is not acceptable within our
society. The Coalition Government's approach to tackling domestic violence and
abuse is set out in its Violence against Women and Girls Action Plan, updated in March
2014.
In 2013, the Home Secretary commissioned Her Majesty's Inspectorate of
Constabulary to undertake a comprehensive review on how the police deal with
domestic violence and abuse. HMIC's report exposed significant failings. In response
to the Review, the Home Secretary has established a National Oversight Group, which
she is chairing, and on which I sit, to ensure HMIC's recommendations are acted upon.
The Group met for the first time on 10 June. The Home Secretary has also written to chief constables making it clear that every police force must have an action plan in place by September 2014, to improve their response to domestic violence and abuse.
The Government is committed to ensuring that the police and other agencies have
the tools necessary to tackle domestic violence, to bring offenders to justice
and to ensure victims have the support they need to rebuild their lives. On 8
March 2014, the Government announced the national roll-out of Domestic Violence
Protection Orders following the successful conclusion of a one-year
pilot in three police force areas including Wiltshire, as well as the Domestic
Violence Disclosure Scheme following the successful conclusion in
September 2013 of a one-year pilot in four police force areas \u2013 once again
including Wiltshire.<\/p>
<\/p>
<\/p>
<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/28", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Norman Baker"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Lewes"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Norman Baker"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2014-06-26", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "previousAnswerVersion" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/62337/answer/previousversion/4350", "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/28", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Norman Baker"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Lewes"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Norman Baker"} } , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2014-06-26T15:22:10.2229767Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Home Office"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Home Office"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2014-06-17", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Domestic Abuse"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent steps her Department is taking to help end domestic abuse and violence against women.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4105", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Justin Tomlinson"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "North Swindon"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Justin Tomlinson"} ], "uin" : "201115"} ], "itemsPerPage" : 10, "page" : 0, "startIndex" : 1, "totalResults" : 3, "type" : ["http://purl.org/linked-data/api/vocab#ListEndpoint", "http://purl.org/linked-data/api/vocab#Page"]} }