Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure continuity of specialist British Sign Language-accessible domestic abuse support for deaf victims and survivors when the current funding period ends.

As part of ‘Freedom from Violence and Abuse: a cross-government strategy to build a safer society for women and girls’, the Home Office committed to deliver specialist VAWG Helplines across England and Wales alongside 1-1 advocacy support for victims of VAWG who are least likely to be able to access support locally. The competitions to deliver this £24 million investment closed on 31 July 2026. As the competitions are still ongoing, we are unable to comment on the details beyond what has already been published.

However, we can provide assurance that the Home Office is working to ensure there is no gap in provision between existing services including for disabled people and the services awarded through the competition.