Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the ability of Independent Domestic Violence Advocates and other specialist staff to be with victims in court during periods of the covid-19 outbreak when restrictions were in place.

Independent Domestic Violence Advisers (IDVAs) and other specialist support staff play a crucial role in supporting victims of domestic abuse to rebuild, recover and engage with the criminal justice system. We are currently consulting on a Victims’ Bill, which includes reviewing what more can be done to strengthen victim advocate roles such as IDVAs, including how they engage with criminal justice agencies.

We have allowed court supporters, including IDVAs, access to court and tribunal buildings throughout the pandemic, and have conducted regular local risk assessments and put mitigations in place to keep people safe.

Since the start of the pandemic we have also stayed engaged with stakeholders and frontline practitioners, including through the Ministry of Justice led Silver Command Forum which was created to help them overcome challenges and additional pressures created by Covid-19 and subsequent restrictions.