Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

Her Majesty's Government, in the light of the Written Answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 26 June (HL101), whether their proposed legislation on domestic violence will include a provision to ensure that survivors of domestic violence and abuse will retain the right to an automatic lifetime tenancy under the Housing and Planning Act 2016, as stated in their manifesto.

Domestic abuse is a devastating crime and we are determined to ensure that women, regardless of their circumstances, should receive the support they need when they need it.

Our Manifesto included a commitment to ensure that those who have a lifetime tenancy and flee domestic violence are able to secure a new lifetime tenancy automatically. We are currently working on how we can deliver this, and an announcement will be made in due course.

We have already acted to put measures in place to support victims of domestic abuse. These include the securing of a dedicated fund totalling £40 million over four years (2016 - 2020), building on the £13.5 million provided between 2014 and 2016. The funding will provide provision for refuges and other specialist accommodation-based services to support victims of domestic abuse and service reform. On the 3 November 2016 we published our new ‘Priorities for Domestic Abuse Services’, developed with partners from the domestic abuse sector, which sets out for the first time what local areas need to do to ensure an effective response to meeting the needs of all domestic abuse victims.