Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that local authorities follow best practice in commissioning domestic abuse services, including recognising the potential role of specialist community-based organisations.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government is committed to support victims of domestic abuse. This is part of the government’s wider mission to halve violence against women and girls within a decade as set out in the Freedom from Violence and Abuse strategy published on 18 December.
Since 2021, local authorities in England have a statutory duty to assess local need and commission safe accommodation-based support for victims and their children. To support delivery of this duty, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government provided local authorities in England £160 million in 2025/26, a £30 million uplift from the previous year, and £499 million funding will be allocated to local authorities over the next three years.
Statutory guidance to local authorities is available on gov.uk here providing further details on how the duty should be delivered.
MHCLG continues to work closely with local authorities, the Domestic Abuse Commissioner and sector partners to promote best practice, support delivery and drive continuous improvement in the commissioning of safe accommodation services.
Ensuring victims receive the right and timely support is also central to the Government’s mission. The Ministry of Justice will be investing £550 million in victim support services over the next three years, and together with the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC) has published guidance here to help local commissioners in their role of supporting victims of all crime, including domestic abuse, focusing on sharing best practice and effective collaboration.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to extend the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme to include offences such as stalking, sexual assault and harassment.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The scale of violence against women and girls in our country is intolerable, and this Government is treating it as the national emergency that it is.
The Government committed in its manifesto to giving stalking victims the right to know the true identity of their online stalker. Through the Crime and Policing Bill, we are introducing statutory guidance to support the police to release identifying information about a stalker to a victim, so victims can know who is threatening them.
The Crime and Policing Bill will also enable the Home Secretary to issue statutory guidance about the disclosure of information to prevent sexual offending. This will ensure the Child Sex Offender Disclosure Scheme and any similar schemes in the future are delivered consistently by all forces.
The Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme currently enables the police to disclose information to a victim or potential victim of domestic abuse about their partner’s or ex-partner's previous abusive or violent offending.
In the recently published Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy we committed to exploring the potential to expand both the stalking Right to Know scheme and the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme to other forms of violence against women and girls.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans she has to increase support for victims of domestic abuse, including early intervention and safeguarding.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
This government recognises the devastating impact of domestic abuse on victims, which is why we have set the ambitious target to halve VAWG in a decade. Prevention and early intervention will sit at the heart of the forthcoming Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy, with a focus on addressing the root causes of VAWG including supporting our education system to teach children about respectful and healthy relationships and consent.
In May 2025 we announced a £19.9m investment to provide vital support to victims of VAWG, increase awareness of VAWG and actively prevent these horrific crimes. This includes over £6 million for national helplines supporting victims of domestic abuse, 'honour'-based abuse, revenge porn and stalking and £2.5m on prevention and early intervention.
Asked by: Ashley Fox (Conservative - Bridgwater)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to answer of 26 June 2025 to Question 60158 on Victim Support Schemes: Domestic Abuse and Sexual Offences, whether the funding announced for the 2025-26 financial year to help prevent such crimes is ringfenced.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG), including domestic abuse and sexual violence, is a top priority for this Government with a manifesto mission to halve VAWG in a decade. We will deliver a cross-government transformative approach, underpinned by a new strategy which we aim to publish as soon as possible.
Ringfences are an important tool in supporting specific policy priorities. However, the use of ringfences must be balanced against the need for departments to retain sufficient flexibility to allocate funding within their settlements and respond effectively to emerging issues, ensuring the best use of public resources.
Home Office funding announced for VAWG in the financial year 2025-26 was not ring-fenced by HMT as part of phase one of the 2025 Spending Review settlement, and the Home Secretary retained discretion over budget allocations for VAWG funding.
Asked by: Ashley Fox (Conservative - Bridgwater)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to answer of 24 June 2025 to Question 60160 on Victim Support Schemes: Finance, how much ringfenced funding for Domestic Violence and Domestic Abuse Support will be provided in the (a) 2025-26 and (b) 2026-27 financial year.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
Ensuring victims receive the right and timely support is a key part of this Government’s mission to halve violence against women and girls.
We provide funding to all 42 Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) which includes ringfenced funding for domestic abuse and sexual violence services. These services are commissioned based on local need.
I have protected dedicated VAWG victims spending in the Department by maintaining 2024-25 funding levels for ringfenced domestic abuse and sexual violence support this year. This includes combined ringfenced funding for PCCs to spend on domestic abuse and sexual violence support services.
As announced on 2 December 2025, Ministry of Justice will be investing £550 million in victim support services over the next three years of this Spending Review period – the biggest investment in victim support services to date. This includes a 2% uplift year on year for the next two years to funding for PCCs. The breakdown of grant funding is also publicly available on the Government Grants Information System (GGIS), which is released annually in March covering the previous financial period of grant spending.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure that victims of coerced internal concealment receive appropriate support and safeguarding.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Government is introducing a new criminal offence of coerced internal concealment in the Crime and Policing Bill, recognising the serious physical and psychological harm that this form of criminal exploitation can cause.
The new offence will be accompanied by statutory guidance for law enforcement and non-statutory guidance aimed at frontline practitioners to aid their understanding and improve the identification and safeguarding of victims of coerced internal concealment.
In addition, through the County Lines Programme, we are targeting exploitative drug dealing gangs behind the trade. Between July 2024 and June 2025, law enforcement activity through the County Lines Programme taskforces has resulted in more than 2,300 deal lines closed, 6,200 arrests (including the arrest and subsequent charge of over 1,100 deal line holders), and 600 knives seized.
County Lines Programme partners have also referred over 3,200 children and vulnerable people to safeguarding services and provided specialist one-to-one support through Catch22’s county lines service to more than 500 children and young people.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to improve access to specialist support for victims of (a) sexual and (b) domestic violence.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
This Government was elected with a landmark mission to halve violence against women and girls (VAWG) within the decade, and ensuring support is available for all victims of sexual violence and domestic abuse is an absolute priority. The new cross-Government strategy, setting out the strategic direction and concrete actions to deliver on the Government’s VAWG ambition, will be published later this year.
I have protected dedicated VAWG victims spending in the department by maintaining 2024-25 funding levels for ringfenced sexual violence and domestic abuse support this year. This includes the Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Fund (RASASF) grant for specialist sexual violence services and the ringfenced domestic and sexual abuse support funding for Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs). PCCs are best placed to understand their local communities and providers, and to commission appropriate support services to meet the need of victims in their area, including those affected by sexual violence or domestic abuse. PCCs and RASASF grant recipients carry out local needs assessments to identify the unique needs of victims in their area and design and deliver services accordingly.
The Ministry of Justice funded 24/7 Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Line offers victims, aged 16 and over, access to free and confidential emotional support whenever they need it. Where appropriate, the service will also signpost victims to longer-term support services, such as therapeutic support.
Asked by: Sarah Hall (Labour (Co-op) - Warrington South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions she has had with domestic abuse (a) charities and (b) specialist organisations on the sustainability of their services; and what steps she is taking to ensure that (i) victims and (ii) survivors of domestic abuse have access to adequate support.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Strategy will set out the strategic direction and concrete actions to deliver on the Government’s VAWG ambition. The new Strategy must reflect the real-world context and lived experiences of the people it is seeking to protect, and we have engaged with sector experts and delivery partners, including charities and specialist organisations, to ensure that it is informed by their views and insights. This included ministerially chaired roundtables on a range of key VAWG issues, including a session specifically on commissioning of specialist services for victims of VAWG.
In this financial year, the Home Office is investing £19.9m in victims' support services - to provide vital support to victims of VAWG, increase awareness of VAWG and fund projects across the country aimed at preventing these horrific crimes.
Asked by: Steve Darling (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of decreased funding on the provision of specialist domestic violence services; what steps she is taking to prevent further harm to victims.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Specialist and ‘by and for’ services are essential for providing the tailored support that victims and survivors of domestic abuse need. Access to support services can prevent re-victimisation, and help victims to access support, escape abuse, and move forward with their lives.
That is why we uplifted the National VAWG Helplines, including ‘by and for’ helpline providers, by over £1.5m in 2024/25, and we are now providing a further uplift of over £1m, bringing the total investment to over £6m in 2025/26. We also uplifted the Support for Migrant Victims Scheme by £398k in 2024/25, and we are now providing a further uplift of £600k to bring the total investment up to £2.4m for 2025/26.
The is part of a wider £19.9 million investment into 2025/26, which also includes £2.5m to help prevent and improve the response to VAWG. This includes increasing the understanding and identification of VAWG, work to prevent ‘honour’ based abuse and improving multi-agency working and risk management.
Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions her Department has had with the devolved Administrations on support for victims of (a) stalking and (b) coercive control.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
This Department regularly engages with the devolved administrations regarding support for victims.
Section 16 of the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024 applies to England and to reserved matters in Wales. It is important that victims can expect as consistent support as possible in both nations and when engaging with agencies across the border. Ministry of Justice officials have worked with relevant officials in the Welsh Government in developing the guidance on the Independent Domestic Violence Adviser and Independent Sexual Violence Adviser roles published in May 2025. We will continue to engage with them on the Independent Stalking Advocate guidance which we will publish next year.
Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) in Wales receive funding from the Ministry of Justice to commission local practical, emotional, and therapeutic support services in their areas for victims of all crime types including stalking and coercive control. Additional ringfenced funding is also provided for domestic abuse and sexual violence support services. The Department routinely engages with Welsh PCCs to monitor and understand the commissioning landscape.
The Inter-Ministerial Group for Justice (IMGJ) is a forum for ministers from all four UK governments to discuss priority justice matters and exchange best practice approaches. We anticipate that victims’ issues will be discussed at future IMGJ meetings.