Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to stop perpetrators of domestic abuse misusing the court system to maintain control over former or current partners.

Protecting victims of domestic abuse remains a priority for this Government. A range of protective orders can already be made in the family court, including non-molestation and occupation orders.

The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 strengthened the law on section 91(14) orders (‘barring orders’) making it clearer that these orders are available to the family court to protect parents and children where further proceedings would risk causing them harm, particularly where further proceedings could be a form of continuing domestic abuse. The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 also prohibits alleged perpetrators of abuse from directly cross-examining their victims in person in family and civil courts in England and Wales. The Act further provides that victims of domestic abuse will be automatically eligible for special measures in all courts.