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

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the findings of the research by Women's Aid in its report Nowhere to Turn, published 4 July; and, in particular, of the number of victims of domestic abuse who were unable to access a refuge in 2017–18.

Domestic abuse is a life-shattering and abhorrent crime that nobody should have to suffer. The Government is absolutely committed to protecting victims of domestic abuse and my Department funds Women’s Aid to undertake this important research so that we can better understand what is happening and address issues.

In 2017/18 we provided an additional £326,955 for the ‘Routes to Support’ which used to support the No Women Turned Away project and ensure victims calling the National Domestic Violence Helpline looking for refuge get additional help in finding the support they need. We have also commissioned an audit of domestic abuse service delivery - being run by Ipsos MORI – to give us a picture of provision across England, enabling us to understand what impact services are having and to identify gaps in provision.

The Prime Minister announced a draft Domestic Abuse Bill in 2017 and we have consulted on how we can best tackle domestic abuse so that we could hear from a wide range of stakeholders, including survivors of domestic abuse and the organisations that support them. We want the Domestic Abuse Bill and a supporting package of non-legislative measures to be truly transformative and bring lasting change to the victims and families experiencing domestic abuse. The consultation on domestic abuse closed on 31 May and we are considering responses ahead of publishing a formal Government response before introducing any legislation.

We are grateful for the support of Women’s Aid and the wider domestic abuse sector for this important work and we will continue to seek their expertise and knowledge as we develop policy on how victims of domestic abuse receive the support they need.