Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing a duty on (a) Police and Crime Commissioners and (b) other relevant authorities to commission specific support for child victims of domestic and sexual abuse.

The Government recognises that funding for victim support provision is crucial for victims to build resilience and move forward with daily life. This is very important for victims of domestic abuse and sexual abuse as these are particularly traumatic crimes with a high number of victims each year.

To better support victims and meet demand we are more than quadrupling funding for victim services by 2024/25, up from £41 million in 2009/10. This includes an additional £6.6 million on a multi-year basis throughout this Spending Review, for services supporting victims of sexual violence and domestic abuse, including children.

The Victims and Prisoners Bill is a key opportunity to strengthen, through legislation, funding structures to make the best use of resources. Support for victims of domestic abuse and sexual abuse are commissioned by a range of bodies in a variety of settings. To improve existing service provision the duty to collaborate requires Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs), Integrated Care Boards (ICBs), and local authorities to collaborate on services for domestic abuse, sexual abuse, and other serious violent crime. It will drive forward more effective and targeted strategic multi-agency collaboration.