Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: Ministry of Justice

Oral Answers to Questions

Jack Brereton Excerpts
Tuesday 25th February 2020

(4 years, 1 month ago)

Commons Chamber
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Daniel Kawczynski Portrait Daniel Kawczynski (Shrewsbury and Atcham) (Con)
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11. What steps he is taking to support victims of domestic abuse through the criminal justice system.

Jack Brereton Portrait Jack Brereton (Stoke-on-Trent South) (Con)
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21. What steps he is taking to support victims of domestic abuse through the criminal justice system.

Robert Buckland Portrait The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice (Robert Buckland)
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Domestic abuse is an abhorrent crime, and we are determined to better protect and support victims and their children and bring perpetrators to justice. We are fully committed to enacting the landmark domestic abuse Bill during this Session. That Bill, and the wider action plan, will help to ensure that victims have the confidence to come forward and report their experiences, safe in the knowledge that those in the justice system and other agencies will do all in their power to protect and support them and their children and to pursue the abusers.

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Jack Brereton Portrait Jack Brereton
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Matthew Ellis, the Staffordshire police and crime commissioner, reports that three out of four victims of domestic abuse in Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire have children, and local head teachers have raised concerns with me about the effect on those children. What are the Government doing to support children who have witnessed domestic violence?

Robert Buckland Portrait Robert Buckland
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My hon. Friend raises a very important issue. Domestic abuse has a devastating impact on children and young people, which is why the Government have provided £8 million over the last two years for services designed to support children who are affected by it. We are also supporting the roll-out of Operation Encompass, which ensures that information is shared between the police and local schools when children have been exposed to domestic abuse. Following last year’s children in need review, we have committed ourselves to further action to improve the way in which that service is delivered.