Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Rehman Chishti and Baroness Featherstone

Monday 23rd March 2015 Commons Chamber

[Lynne Featherstone]

I reiterate that the £2 billion annual cost of legal aid, combined with the economic circumstances left by Labour, meant that hard choices had to be made. Labour was also committed to reducing legal aid. We have retained legal aid in key areas impacting on women, particularly with regard to injunctions to protect victims from domestic abuse and in private family law cases where domestic abuse is a feature.

[Rehman Chishti (Gillingham and Rainham) (Con)]

5. What steps her Department is taking to tackle extremism.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Rehman Chishti and Baroness Featherstone

Thursday 23rd February 2012 Commons Chamber

[Lynne Featherstone]

The hon. Gentleman raises an issue that has been raised before. The Supporting People budget is £6.5 billion. It is the largest budget and it has been cut by only 1%, so if Women’s Aid is facing a bigger cut, local authorities need to hear loud and clear what the Home Secretary and I have said. We have ring-fenced £28 million of central funding to send out a loud and clear message to local authorities not to cut funding. Furthermore, the national helplines are still being funded by central Government.

[Rehman Chishti (Gillingham and Rainham) (Con)]

Honour-based violence is linked to domestic violence, and I am sure the Minister is aware of a recent report stating that there were more than 2,800 incidents of honour-based violence in our country last year. What steps are we taking to deal with this horrendous practice?

[Lynne Featherstone]

The Government condemn this awful practice. We are committed to tackling honour-based violence and the action plan to end violence against women and girls sets out our approach. It includes working with partners to identify what more can be done. Next week I will be in New York to attend the commission on the status of women, where I will speak on forced marriage for Plan UK.