Business of the House

Debate between Helen Morgan and Lucy Powell

Thursday 19th December 2024 Commons Chamber

[Lucy Powell]

I join my hon. Friend in congratulating St Mary’s Episcopal cathedral on appearing on the Christmas stamps this year. She raises an important issue that many hon. Members across the House raise: the future of churches and our places of worship. The Chair of the Backbench Business Committee is in his place and I am sure that he would welcome an application for such a debate.

[Helen Morgan (North Shropshire) (LD)]

Since being elected, I have been contacted by a number of women who have left their partners or husbands because of domestic abuse, and then had that abuse perpetuated during their dealings with the family court when determining access to their children or the maintenance payments that they receive. Given the obvious concern about the prioritisation of access over child safety, the issues that female constituents have raised with me, and the fact that the family court operates in secrecy, which leaves constituents gagged and bound, unable to do anything about these things, can we have a debate in Government time on how women are treated in family court processes, and how we can do better?

[Lucy Powell]

The hon. Lady raises a story with which many of us will be all too familiar as constituency MPs. She will know that this Government take domestic abuse and domestic violence incredibly seriously. We have a very challenging target of halving violence against women and girls over the next few years. We have an upcoming crime and policing Bill and a victims Bill, and some the measures that she asks about will be included in that legislation.