Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will revise her Department's guidelines to the Metropolitan Police on whether domestic violence cases should be referred to the Crown Prosecution Service before prosecutions can be initiated by the police; and if she will make a statement.

The Coalition Government takes the issue of domestic violence and abuse extremely seriously. That is why in 2013, the Home Secretary commissioned HMIC (Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary) to undertake a comprehensive review on how the police deal with domestic violence and abuse and is chairing a National Oversight Group, on which I also sit, to oversee the delivery of HMIC's recommendations. Following the publication of HMIC's report, the College of Policing is updating its authorised professional practice for officers on domestic abuse.

The Metropolitan Police Service uses national CPS guidelines when referring cases for prosecution. The Director of Public Prosecution's Guidance on Charging clearly advises both police officers and prosecutors that the CPS will charge all domestic violence cases where the appropriate evidential standard has been met. The CPS is also currently revising its domestic violence policy - a revised policy was published for consultation on 14 May 2014. The CPS is also working closely with the police to assess how the criminal justice response can be improved together with the police consideration of the HMIC review.