Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he plans to take through the criminal justice system to reduce levels of violence against women.

This Government was elected with the unprecedented ambition to halve violence against women and girls (VAWG) in a decade, which is an integral part of the wider mission to take back our streets and raise confidence in the police and criminal justice system.

To begin, we have committed to fast-tracking rape cases through the courts to deliver swift and effective justice to some of the most vulnerable victims and survivors. In addition, we have announced that from next year, we will be rolling out free, independent legal advocates for victims and survivors of adult rape, ensuring that they have support to enforce their legal rights, for example, in relation to use of their personal records during an investigation or in court.

We will also be piloting Domestic Abuse Protection Orders from November, and in the family court we will further expand the Pathfinder courts model and ensure that children and families are better supported with access to domestic abuse specialists.

In our manifesto we also committed to banning the creation of sexually explicit deepfakes, as well as strengthening the law to help the police better respond to the crime of spiking.

These are just some of the early steps we are taking in the Ministry of Justice to deliver on our ambition to halve VAWG. I am also working closely with my cross-government colleagues to ensure every department is focussed on tackling this national emergency.