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

To ask Her Majesty's Government what specific steps they took to provide additional support for domestic violence shelters during the period when restrictions were in place to address the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Government has made £10 million available specifically for domestic abuse charitable safe accommodation providers, including refuges, in support of this critical provision during the COVID-19 outbreak.

To date, £8.76 million of this funding has already been allocated to 122 successful charity bids across the country, providing almost 1,600 bedspaces.

Additionally, Government issued guidance to domestic abuse safe accommodation providers in support of their service delivery during these unprecedented times. It ensured front-line domestic abuse support workers were included in the key workers list, and that domestic abuse refuges are included in the Local Resilience Forums list to enable them to request urgent PPE supplies.