Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many trained Independent Sexual Violence Advisers were working with police forces in England and Wales in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Independent Sexual Violence Advisers (ISVAs), and Independent Domestic Violence Advisers (IDVAs), are commissioned by Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs), through grant funding provided by Government for local practical, emotional and therapeutic support services for victims of all crime types, including sexual violence and domestic abuse. It is for PCCs to assess local demand and allocate this funding accordingly. The Ministry of Justice does not hold the specific information requested.

The Government is committed to ensuring victims of sexual violence and domestic abuse receive the support they need to cope and recover from the impact of crime. In 2021/22, the Ministry of Justice provided £150.5m for victim and witness support services, which is an increase of £16m from 2020/21 and compares to a total budget of £48.5m in 2010-2011. As part of this, we committed £276,926 to ISVA and IDVA training to enable training providers to increase their capacity to meet demand. We also committed £51m to specifically increase support for rape and domestic abuse victims, including a national investment of £27m over two years to fund up to 700 ISVAs and IDVAs, an increase of 44% on existing provision. This funding has mainly been distributed through Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) and the Rape Support Fund, including PCCs and organisations in Wales.

In addition, we have committed to increasing annual funding for Ministry of Justice victim support services to over £185 million per annum by 2024-25, an uplift of 85% from 2019-20. This includes funding to increase the number of ISVAs and IDVAs to over 1,000. We have also recently consulted on a Victim’s Bill, to make tangible improvements for all victims. This includes reviewing what more can be done to strengthen victim advocate roles such as ISVAs and IDVAs, reviewing join-up across agencies, standards, guidance and frameworks.