Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government is taking to (a) recognise domestic abuse as a form of violence against women and girls, (b) prioritise funding for specialist services, (c) implement reforms to family courts recommended in the Ministry of Justice’s Harm Panel review and (d) take other steps to tackle such violence.

Domestic Abuse is a form of Violence Against Women and Girls and this Government is committed to tackling VAWG in all its forms.

Our new VAWG strategy will be published next year and will set out our continued recognition of the fundamental importance of specialist services. We will use every tool available to target perpetrators and address the root causes of abuse and violence.

On 20th September, we announced a package of measures to tackle VAWG. This included launching the Domestic Abuse Protection Orders in selected police forces and courts on 27th November to further strengthen protections for victims and introducing domestic abuse specialists into 999 control rooms from early 2025 as part of ‘Raneem’s Law’. On 3^rd December, we also announced new measures to tackle stalking.

We are committed to responding to the Harm Panel’s recommendations and the Pathfinder pilot is central to reforming the family justice system. This entirely reformed court model is currently operating in Dorset, North Wales, Birmingham and South-East Wales and seeks to improve the experiences of children and families and reduce re-traumatisation through a more investigative and less adversarial approach.

Following the spending review announcements in October, the Home Office and other departments across Government are deciding how their departmental budgets are allocated to deliver the Government’s priorities in 2025/26. Phase 2 of the Spending Review will be mission-led, ensuring Departments work together to develop a shared strategy for delivering the Government’s priority areas for reform.