Oral Answers to Questions

Jeff Smith Excerpts

Wednesday 7th February 2024 Commons Chamber

The Minister for Women and Equalities was asked—

[Jeff Smith (Manchester, Withington) (Lab)]

1. What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help tackle violence against women and girls.

[Nicola Richards (West Bromwich East) (Con)]

6. What recent steps she has taken with Cabinet colleagues to help tackle violence against women and girls.

[The Minister for Women and Equalities (Kemi Badenoch)]

Tackling violence against women and girls is one of the Government’s key priorities. We are making progress in delivering various cross-Government workstreams, including the tackling violence against women and girls strategy and the rape review action plan.

[Jeff Smith]

Three quarters of police-recorded domestic abuse cases are closed due to evidential difficulties or because the victim does not support further action. Does the Minister agree that Labour’s proposal to put rape and domestic abuse specialists in every police force in England and Wales will give women the confidence to come forward and secure more convictions?

[Kemi Badenoch]

We will have 2,000 rape specialists across all police forces by April. In the autumn statement, the Prime Minister announced that the Government would provide £2 million of additional funding for a flexible fund that trials one-off payments to victims of domestic abuse. That fund was made available to victims on 31 January.