Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much funding has been allocated to training Independent Domestic Violence Advisors in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

In 2021/22, the Ministry of Justice provided £150.5m for victim and witness support services. This included £276,926 to Independent Sexual Violence Adviser (ISVA) and Independent Domestic Violence Adviser (IDVA) training providers, to enable them to increase their capacity to meet demand.

The £150.5m for victim and witness services also includes £51m ringfenced funding to meet increased demand for domestic abuse and sexual violence victims, including a national investment of £27m over two years to fund up to 700 ISVAs and IDVAs. In 2020/21, we provided £32m over two rounds of emergency funding for domestic abuse and sexual violence services. Most funding is routed through Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs), who assess local demand and allocate funding accordingly.

In addition, the Ministry of Justice has committed to increasing funding for victim support services to £185 million by 2024-25 – this includes funding to increase the number of ISVAs and IDVAs funded to over 1,000. We have also recently consulted on a Victim’s Bill, including 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.