Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what mental health support they currently offer to survivors of image-based abuse.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Whilst the National Health Service does not offer bespoke mental health services to survivors of image-based abuse, anyone experiencing mental health problems as a result of such abuse is advised to seek help from their local general practitioner, NHS Talking Therapies services or through NHS 111.

Further advice for survivors is available from the Revenge Porn Helpline and other sources of emotional support for all types of abuse can be obtained through the Hub of Hope website, both in an online-only format.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to tackle non-compliance regarding removal of non-consensual content from websites that host image-based abuse material.

Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Online Safety Act gives online user-to-user services new duties to implement systems and processes to reduce the risks of their services being used to facilitate certain ‘priority’ kinds of offending. It also requires providers to take down illegal content when it does appear. These duties extend to intimate image abuse (IIA) content. This is a priority kind of offending under the Act. Ofcom will have strong enforcement powers where platforms fail to comply with their duties for IIA content. It can impose significant fines and, where appropriate, business disruption measures on non-compliant platforms. It can fine companies up to £18 million or 10% of their qualifying global annual revenue.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what training members of the police are undertaking to communicate and assist victims of image-based abuse.

Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)

Intimate image-based abuse can have a devastating impact on the lives of its victims and this Government will treat violence against women and girls (VAWG), online and offline, as a national emergency.

The College of Policing set the curriculum for policing which includes educational outcomes on image-based abuse. At present, individual forces choose how to deliver this training, often by commissioning local experts and support services.

The Government is determined that every force must have the right specialist capability to investigate these crimes properly. We will therefore work closely with the College of Policing and National Police Chiefs' Council to strengthen the training for officers on VAWG.

Under the Online Safety Act 2023, it is an offence to send, share or threaten to share “deepfake” pornography. This is part of a new “base offence” that criminalises someone for sharing an intimate image without consent. This Government has committed to banning the creation of sexually explicit “deepfake” images.

Found: Members who have experience of consulting with young people: • Baroness Owen of Alderley Edge • Earl

Found: Viscount Colville of Culross; Baroness Cumberlege; Lord Hampton; Baroness Hughes of Stretford; Baroness

Found: Viscount Colville of Culross; Baroness Cumberlege; Lord Hampton; Baroness Hughes of Stretford; Baroness