Rape: Victim Support Schemes

(asked on 24th May 2018) - View Source

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will review funding for rape crisis centres and make an assessment implications for (a) the perceived independence and (b) the advocacy role of those centres of financial dependence on police and crime commissioners.


Answered by
Phillip Lee Portrait
Phillip Lee
This question was answered on 5th June 2018

The Government is committed to ensuring that victims of crime get the support they need to cope with and, as far as possible, recover from the effects of crime. Under the 2016-2020 Violence Against Women and Girls strategy, the Government made a commitment to maintain funding for rape support services at 2016/17 levels for the remainder of the spending review period and we continue to meet that commitment.

In 2017/18 we allocated around £7.2m to 99 independent Rape Support services across England and Wales to provide specialist support to female and male victims of sexual violence, including victims of child sexual abuse.

In 2017/18 we allocated Police and Crime Commissioners around £68m funding to commission or provide support services to meet the needs of victims of crime in their local areas, including victims of sexual violence.

Rape Support Centres receive funding from a range of sources, including the government, Police and Crime Commissioners, charitable trusts and foundations, and the National Health Service.

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