Lords Chamber
15:07
Baroness Levitt, The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice (Labour)
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Baroness Levitt, The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice (Labour)
My My Lords, My Lords, first My Lords, first of My Lords, first of all, My Lords, first of all, question Baroness Donaghy beg leave to ask the question. Standing in my name on the Order Paper. My Lords, local authorities in England have a statutory duty to ensure support in safe accommodation for victims of safe accommodation for victims of child abuse, of victims of domestic abuse and their children, and they work in partnership with charities work in partnership with charities and specialist providers to do so.
In 2025 to 2026, the Ministry of In 2025 to 2026, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government provided £160 million, a Government provided £160 million, a £30 million uplift for councils to commission this support for victims. This funding supports the This funding supports the government's wider mission to halve violence against women and girls over the next decade. over the next decade. As my noble friend the Minister knows, yesterday was the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and Girls.
A woman is killed Women and Girls. A woman is killed between every three and five days by a current or former partner. by a current or former partner. Although government policy is great, specialist services including specialist services including emergency refuge accommodation, needs a further 62 million to meet needs a further 62 million to meet existing demand. I ask the Minister to reassure the House that to reassure the House that everything is being done to increase the momentum to deal with this epidemic.
this epidemic. My Lords, I have spent much of my professional life in the fight against violence, against women and girls, and I am proud to be part of a government that has this as a key priority. I pay tribute to the work done by refuges up and down the country. This year we have increased funding for domestic abuse, safe accommodation services abuse, safe accommodation services such as refuges by £30 million. And last week we announced that we would maintain funding at at least would maintain funding at at least that level for the next three years.
So that is a commitment of at least So that is a commitment of at least £480 million over three years.
In 2025 to 2026, the Ministry of In 2025 to 2026, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government provided £160 million, a Government provided £160 million, a £30 million uplift for councils to commission this support for victims. This funding supports the This funding supports the government's wider mission to halve violence against women and girls over the next decade. over the next decade. As my noble friend the Minister knows, yesterday was the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and Girls.
A woman is killed Women and Girls. A woman is killed between every three and five days by a current or former partner. by a current or former partner. Although government policy is great, specialist services including specialist services including emergency refuge accommodation, needs a further 62 million to meet needs a further 62 million to meet existing demand. I ask the Minister to reassure the House that to reassure the House that everything is being done to increase the momentum to deal with this epidemic.
this epidemic. My Lords, I have spent much of my professional life in the fight against violence, against women and girls, and I am proud to be part of a government that has this as a key priority. I pay tribute to the work done by refuges up and down the country. This year we have increased funding for domestic abuse, safe accommodation services abuse, safe accommodation services such as refuges by £30 million. And last week we announced that we would maintain funding at at least would maintain funding at at least that level for the next three years.
So that is a commitment of at least So that is a commitment of at least £480 million over three years.
15:09
Baroness Donaghy (Labour)
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Baroness Donaghy (Labour)
My Lords, my Lords. noble Lady, the Minister, that refuges have provided life saving services literally in the sense of the word. But would she agree with me that in 2025 it's not okay anymore to expect women to to flee, put their lives into a black put their lives into a black plastic bag, flee with their children to the other end of the country. That is not the solution. country. That is not the solution. Could she talk about the real solution, which is to work with perpetrators of abuse and prevent perpetrators of abuse and prevent this terrible crime once and for all? Yes.
15:10
Baroness Levitt, The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice (Labour)
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Baroness Levitt, The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice (Labour)
As the noble Lady knows, I agree broadly with pretty much everything that she says, and that is why the government is working on, if you like, the three strands of dealing with domestic abuse. The first is prevention. The second is robust enforcement against those who enforcement against those who perpetrate it, and the third is support for victims.
15:10
Baroness Barran (Conservative)
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Baroness Barran (Conservative)
Lord Eames Lib Dems. abuse. Can fail to qualify to bid for a permanent home because of debt issues, often not of their own making, and families and children across the country can be trapped in temporary accommodation because of debt accumulated by the abuser. Shouldn't there be a national rule whereby coerced debt should be whereby coerced debt should be excused to help abused families out of the debt trap and into a permanent home?
15:11
Baroness Levitt, The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice (Labour)
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Baroness Levitt, The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice (Labour)
The hon. Lady makes a really important point. And in fact, on Monday I addressed a reception held in this. In one of the rooms in this palace hosted by the charity Surviving Economic Abuse, and listening to what was said there, it reminded me, I hope I didn't need reminding, but it really made it starkly clear that for the survivors, economic abuse is every bit as pernicious and damaging as actual violence or controlling or coercive behaviour.
We are acutely aware of this and doing everything we can to ensure that that is
We are acutely aware of this and doing everything we can to ensure that that is