Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent assessment they have made of the progress made towards ratification of the Istanbul Convention, including with regards to any forthcoming Domestic Abuse Bill.
In accordance with the Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence (Ratification of Convention) Act 2017, the Government publishes an annual report on progress towards ratification of the Istanbul Convention.
The most recent annual report was published on 31 October 2019 and is available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/843509/CCS0919132732-001_Istanbul_Convention_2019_Report_Option_A_Web_Accessible.pdf
The landmark Domestic Abuse Bill was announced alongside the Queen’s Speech on 19 December 2019. Subject to parliamentary approval, we are fully committed to enacting this landmark legislation at the earliest opportunity and implementing it quickly.