Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what support her Department is providing to LGBTQ+ people who have experienced parental abuse during the covid-19 outbreak.

The Home Office has taken considerable action during the pandemic to assess and combat the impact of COVID-19 on all victims of domestic abuse. This includes LGBT+ individuals and the guidance we have published on gov.uk provides specific advice for members of the LGBT+ community.

We also continue to support the National LGBT+ Domestic Abuse helpline, providing £120,000 of funding each year since 2016. The helpline provides a vital service for LGBT+ individuals who are or have been victims of domestic abuse, including parental abuse. This important service has remained available to victims throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

In addition to our regular funding, the Home Office has announced £2 million in funding to alleviate the increased pressures of COVID-19. This money ensures that helplines and online services continue to be readily available to victims. £1.2 million of this has already been allocated, including funding for the charity Galop, the organisation that runs the LGBT+ helpline.

This funding is on top of the Treasury’s £750 million package to bolster charities, £76 million of which will support survivors of?domestic abuse, sexual violence and modern slavery, whilst also ensuring that vulnerable children and young people continue to get the help they need.