Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will take steps to ensure that actual bodily harm and grievous bodily harm in a domestic setting are included in sentencing guidelines as an aggravating factor.

The current overarching sentencing guideline on Domestic Violence, issued by the independent Sentencing Council for England and Wales, applies to all offences involving domestic violence, including instances of actual and grievous bodily harm. This guideline makes it clear that the domestic setting can be considered as an aggravating factor for sentencing.

In March, the Sentencing Council launched a consultation on revised guidelines for domestic abuse and intimidatory offences which ran until 30 June. Further information can be found on the Council’s website: www.sentencingcouncil.org.uk

The Domestic Abuse Bill, announced in the Queen’s Speech, will also contain provisions to protect the victims of domestic violence and abuse.