Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to (a) help tackle domestic abuse and (b) improve support services for domestic abuse survivors in Surrey Heath constituency.

This Government has set out an ambition to halve violence against women and girls (VAWG) within a decade and will treat it as the national emergency that it is. The Government has increased funding to all local authorities to £160 million for 2025-26, an uplift of £30 million from the previous year, to provide further support in safe accommodation for domestic abuse survivors. We will deliver a cross-Government, transformative approach, underpinned by a new VAWG Strategy published later this year. This will take into account the needs of all victims, including those in rural areas.

The Government has committed to introduce domestic abuse specialists in every 999 control room, under a new approach named Raneem's Law. Delivery began in February, with the first specialists embedded in five police forces to support and improve the police response to victims of domestic abuse.

We have launched new Domestic Abuse Protection Orders (DAPOs) in three select areas and with the British Transport Police. These orders are the first to introduce a robust range of restrictions for perpetrators such as the ability to impose electronic tagging and attendance on behaviour change programmes, substance misuse and mental health interventions.

The health sector has a vital role to play in preventing, identifying and responding to violence and abuse, and providing healthcare to victims. Domestic abuse and sexual violence (DASV) is more likely to be disclosed to a healthcare professional than any other professional. Therefore, it is vital that all health professionals including GPs, midwives and health visitors recognise the signs early and know how to respond. DHSC has published and disseminated a working definition of trauma informed practice for the health and care sector.