Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much funding the Government allocated for the provision of (a) domestic abuse services, (b) female rape support centres, (c) independent domestic violence advisers and (d) independent sexual violence advisers since 2016; and how many (i) rape support centres, (ii) IDVAs and (iii) ISVAs were supported by that funding in each of those years.

Over this spending review period, the Government is providing increased funding of £100m to tackle violence against women and girls (VAWG.)

Since 2016 the funding has supported:

• In 2015/16 85 and in 2016/17 86 rape support centres for female victims through annual funding of £6.4m.
• In 2016/17 the provision of 144 IDVAs, and 87 ISVAs through funding of £2.5m and £1.75m respectively.
• From 2017, the £17m VAWG Transformation Fund supporting 41 local projects with a focus on early intervention and prevention with a number of the projects supporting additional IDVA and ISVA provision.
• A £20m fund for accommodation-based services supporting more than 80 projects across England creating more than 2,200 bed spaces and supporting over 19,000 victims.
• National helplines as we recognise that these are best commissioned at a national level. This includes the National Stalking Helpline run by Suzy Lamplugh Trust; the National Domestic Violence Helpline run jointly by Women's Aid and Refuge; Galop, who offer help to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender victims; the Male Advice(and Enquiry)Line and the RESPECT helpline.

Data published in November 2017 showed the number of IDVAs has increased to 897 full time equivalent, a rise of 10% since 2016 and the number of refuge bedspaces has increased from 3,467 in 2010 to 3,798 spaces in 2017.