Asked by: Kirith Entwistle (Labour - Bolton North East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to help tackle domestic abuse.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
This Government is committed to tackling domestic abuse in all its forms. We have unveiled a series of bold measures designed to strengthen the police response to domestic abuse, protect victims and hold perpetrators to account.
From early 2025, under a new approach named ‘Raneem’s Law’, domestic abuse specialists will be embedded in 999 control rooms to ensure that victims are referred to appropriate support services swiftly.
To further strengthen protections for victims, in November we launched the new Domestic Abuse Protection Orders in selected police forces and courts. These will go further than existing orders, making it a legal requirement for perpetrators to inform the police of any change in name or address and imposing electronic monitoring. We will be onboarding two additional sites in early 2025 – offering access to these new orders to a greater number of victims.
We have provided an increase of £30 million, in domestic abuse safe accommodation services in 2025-26, meaning a total investment of £160m. This is part of wider work to empower local commissioners to identify needs and commission appropriate support for victims.
Asked by: Kirith Entwistle (Labour - Bolton North East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the support available to people who have left coercive relationships but continue to be subject to attempts at (a) financial and (b) other control by their ex-partners with whom they share parental responsibilities.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Controlling and coercive behaviour is a particularly insidious form of domestic abuse, which can continue post-separation. It is often part of a wider pattern of abuse, including violent, sexual or economic abuse.
Since 5th April 2023, following the passage of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, and the amendment to Section 76 under the Serious Crime Act 2015, the controlling or coercive behaviour offence applies to ex-partners or family members who do not live together. This offers wider protection to victims who are experiencing abuse from an ex-partner they do not live with.
I recognise the devastating impact financial and economic abuse can have on victims. We continue to promote awareness of economic abuse to improve the public and private sector's response, particularly working with the specialist charity Surviving Economic Abuse to strengthen financial systems and support victims.
Proposals to reform the Child Maintenance Services (CMS) were published by the previous Government. This included removing Direct Pay and managing all CMS cases in one service to allow the CMS to tackle non-compliance faster, as well as exploring how victims and survivors of domestic abuse can be better supported. We are analysing the responses received, and the Government will publish a response in due course.
Asked by: Kirith Entwistle (Labour - Bolton North East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to help tackle antisocial behaviour in (a) Bolton North East constituency and (b) the UK.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
Tackling anti-social behaviour is a top priority for this Government and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission.
We are committed to delivering an additional 13 000 police officers, PCSOs and special constables into neighbourhood policing roles so residents know who to turn to when things go wrong. We will crack down on those causing havoc on our high streets by introducing tougher powers, including new Respect Orders to tackle repeat offending and to get persistent offenders off our streets.
Asked by: Kirith Entwistle (Labour - Bolton North East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to help tackle speeding on residential streets in Bolton North East constituency.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
Excess speed is still a major cause of death and serious injury on our roads. Anyone who breaks the speed limit should expect to face a swift and strong sanction.
Enforcement of speeding offences in Bolton North East constituency and the deployment of available resources and capabilities is an operational matter for Greater Manchester’s Chief Constable and Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime Police to determine, taking into account the specific local problems and demands with which they are faced.