Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to help protect victims of domestic abuse in Newport West.
Answered by Laura Farris - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Ministry of Justice) (jointly with Home Office)
Victims of domestic abuse in Wales, including Newport West, have access to a range of support and protections as a result of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 and our Tackling Domestic Abuse Plan (2022).
The Plan invests over £230 million of cross-Government funding into tackling this crime. This includes up to £140 million for supporting victims, and over £81 million for tackling perpetrators and to support policing. Funding which may support victims in Newport West from this plan includes, but is not limited to:
From 31st January 2024, victims can benefit from direct payments to victims flee abuse or build a sustainable future due to an additional new £2 million investment into the Flexible Fund.
This funding is alongside measures to protect victims and pursue perpetrators, such as adding violence against women crime types – including domestic abuse – to the revised Strategic Policing Requirement, elevating it to a national threat for police forces to respond to accordingly.
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what (a) financial and (b) other support his Department is providing to women's refuges in City of Durham constituency.
Answered by Felicity Buchan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has provided £3,531,383 since 2021/22 to County Durham and have committed a further £1,216,337 for 2024/25. This funding is for County Durham to commission support for victims of domestic abuse who are residing in refuges and other types of domestic abuse safe accommodation locally.
Statutory Guidance and Regulations provide further details to local authorities on how the duties should be delivered on the ground. The Department continues to work closely with the Domestic Abuse Commissioner, the domestic abuse sector and the LGA in supporting local authorities, including best practice workshops.
Asked by: Dehenna Davison (Conservative - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure consistency of support across regions for victims of domestic violence.
Answered by Laura Farris - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Ministry of Justice) (jointly with Home Office)
The Violence Against Women and Girls National Statement of Expectations sets out how local areas should commission effective services. It also aims to increase understanding of the need for specialist services and the value of those designed, and delivered by and for the users and communities they aim to serve (for example victims and survivors from ethnic minority backgrounds, deaf and disabled victims and survivors, and LGBT victims and survivors).
The Domestic Abuse Commissioner’s report on meeting the needs of victims across England and Wales has been useful in highlighting the importance of nationwide provision and specialist support. We have and will continue to use her findings in commissioning and funding decisions.
The Domestic Abuse Act introduced a legal duty on Tier 1 local authorities to provide support for victims of domestic abuse and their children within safe accommodation, including refuges. Department of Levelling up, Housing and Communities have allocated £127.3 million in 2023/24 to LAs to discharge this duty.
Ministry of Justice is also this year (23/24) providing £21 million of ringfenced funding to Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCS) for community-based domestic abuse and sexual violence services. This is in addition to the ‘Core’ funding MoJ provides to PCCs to allocate at their discretion, based on their assessment of local need.
In November 2023, we renewed the commitment to support victims of domestic abuse with a further £2 million investment into the Flexible Fund until March 2025, announced in the Autumn Statement. The Home Office Fund will enable direct payments to victims across England and Wales to help them flee abuse and re-establish long-term safety and independence and builds on a trial of the scheme in 2023.
Asked by: Peter Gibson (Conservative - Darlington)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the adequacy of the time taken for school admission decisions to be made for pupils temporarily residing in domestic abuse refuges; and if she will take steps with local authorities to reduce that time.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
The government has not carried out a recent assessment of the time taken to secure a school place for children living in domestic abuse refuges, but has changed the School Admissions Code in 2021 to improve support for the in-year admission of vulnerable children and help to reduce to a minimum any gaps in their education.
The 2021 Code requires admission authorities to inform parents of the outcome of their in-year application within 15 school days. Where a parent is having difficulty securing a place following the in-year process, each local authority must have a Fair Access Protocol (FAP) which requires an eligible child to be allocated a school place within 20 school days. The government extended eligibility for the FAP in the new Code to children who are living in a refuge or other relevant accommodation.
Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what information his Department holds on how much money was paid for councils to support domestic violence refuge shelters for domestic abuse victims (a) employed but not in receipt of benefits, (b) unemployed and not in receipt of benefits and (c) with no access to funds in each of the last five years.
Answered by Felicity Buchan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
As set out previously, since 2020 the Department has provided £393.9 million in funding to local councils for the provision of support in domestic abuse safe accommodation - £16.6 million in 2020/21, £125 million in both 2021/22 and 2022/23 and £127.3 million for 2023/24. The links can be found here.
In addition, we have committed to a further £129.7 million for the delivery of these duties in 2024/25. The link can be found here.
This funding is for support which is available to all domestic abuse victims who are residing in refuges and other types of safe accommodation regardless of their employment status.
The Department does not hold employment and benefits data on individuals in domestic abuse safe accommodation services.
Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many domestic abuse survivors who (a) were employed and not in receipt of benefits, (b) were unemployed and not in receipt of benefits, (c) had no recourse to public funds, (d) were unemployed and in receipt of benefits and (e) were employed and in receipt of benefits have been admitted to domestic violence refuge shelters in the latest period for which data is available.
Answered by Felicity Buchan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
As set out previously, since 2020 the Department has provided £393.9 million in funding to local councils for the provision of support in domestic abuse safe accommodation - £16.6 million in 2020/21, £125 million in both 2021/22 and 2022/23 and £127.3 million for 2023/24. The links can be found here.
In addition, we have committed to a further £129.7 million for the delivery of these duties in 2024/25. The link can be found here.
This funding is for support which is available to all domestic abuse victims who are residing in refuges and other types of safe accommodation regardless of their employment status.
The Department does not hold employment and benefits data on individuals in domestic abuse safe accommodation services.
Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make a comparative assessment of the number of domestic abuse survivors who were (a) not in receipt of benefits, (b) employed and (c) both employed and not in receipt of benefits who were admitted to a domestic violence refuge shelter in each of the last five years.
Answered by Felicity Buchan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
As set out previously, since 2020 the Department has provided £393.9 million in funding to local councils for the provision of support in domestic abuse safe accommodation - £16.6 million in 2020/21, £125 million in both 2021/22 and 2022/23 and £127.3 million for 2023/24. The links can be found here.
In addition, we have committed to a further £129.7 million for the delivery of these duties in 2024/25. The link can be found here.
This funding is for support which is available to all domestic abuse victims who are residing in refuges and other types of safe accommodation regardless of their employment status.
The Department does not hold employment and benefits data on individuals in domestic abuse safe accommodation services.
Asked by: Jess Phillips (Labour - Birmingham, Yardley)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will meet (a) the hon. Member for Birmingham Yardley and (b) representatives of Women's Aid to discuss the use of (i) Nationwide Tracing Services Ltd and (ii) other specialist people-tracing firms by perpetrators of domestic abuse to track down victims staying at confidential refuges.
Answered by Felicity Buchan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
The safety of women and girls across the country is a key Government priority. We are taking a range of steps to tackle perpetrators and prevent re-offending to protect all victims. For example, the Home Office recently concluded a £36 million competition to increase the availably of interventions for domestic abuse and stalking perpetrators.
Police can also put in place measures to protect victims of domestic abuse or stalking, including pre-charge bail conditions, and applying for protective orders, such as Domestic Violence Protection Orders (DVPOs) or Stalking Protection Orders (SPOs). In the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, the Government legislated for a new Domestic Abuse Protection Notice and Order, which will go even further in protecting victims from all forms of domestic abuse. Courts will be able to impose conditions such as electronic monitoring and attendance on a behaviour change programme, alongside mandatory notification requirements to protect the victim. The new notice and order will be piloted from Spring 2024 in three police force areas and with the British Transport Police.
It is critical for the safety of victims that women's refuges and other types of domestic abuse safe accommodation can keep their locations secret.
I would welcome a meeting with the hon. Member for Birmingham Yardley and representatives of Women's Aid to discuss this issue.
Asked by: Jess Phillips (Labour - Birmingham, Yardley)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if his Department will take steps to prevent (a) Nationwide Tracing Services Ltd and (b) other specialist people-tracing firms from offering services that enable perpetrators of domestic abuse to track down victims staying at confidential refuges.
Answered by Felicity Buchan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
The safety of women and girls across the country is a key Government priority. We are taking a range of steps to tackle perpetrators and prevent re-offending to protect all victims. For example, the Home Office recently concluded a £36 million competition to increase the availably of interventions for domestic abuse and stalking perpetrators.
Police can also put in place measures to protect victims of domestic abuse or stalking, including pre-charge bail conditions, and applying for protective orders, such as Domestic Violence Protection Orders (DVPOs) or Stalking Protection Orders (SPOs). In the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, the Government legislated for a new Domestic Abuse Protection Notice and Order, which will go even further in protecting victims from all forms of domestic abuse. Courts will be able to impose conditions such as electronic monitoring and attendance on a behaviour change programme, alongside mandatory notification requirements to protect the victim. The new notice and order will be piloted from Spring 2024 in three police force areas and with the British Transport Police.
It is critical for the safety of victims that women's refuges and other types of domestic abuse safe accommodation can keep their locations secret.
I would welcome a meeting with the hon. Member for Birmingham Yardley and representatives of Women's Aid to discuss this issue.
Asked by: Tim Loughton (Conservative - East Worthing and Shoreham)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what guidance he has issued to providers of domestic violence refuges on the provision of single-sex facilities.
Answered by Felicity Buchan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
Further to the answer to UIN 117805, the Equality and Human Rights Commission provides guidance on provision of single sex services.
The Government’s position is set out in the Home Office Statutory Guidance to accompany the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1089015/Domestic_Abuse_Act_2021_Statutory_Guidance.pdf