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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Seema Malhotra on 2015-01-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many officials of her Department in (a) the UK and (b) each station worldwide deal with FGM as part of their remit.

Justine Greening

Ending violence against women and girls – including ending FGM – is a cross-cutting priority for DFID and therefore it is not possible to report the specific number of staff working on this.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Seema Malhotra on 2015-01-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what funding his Department has provided for refuges for women fleeing domestic violence in each year since 2010.

Kris Hopkins

Decisions on the provision of accommodation for victims of domestic abuse are for local authorities. We expect local authorities to commission services based on the needs of their communities, taking account of locally available data sources.

Government does not directly fund domestic abuse refuges, however, this Government has invested £6.5 billion to help vulnerable people through housing related support. A proportion of this money will be used by local authorities to commission refuge services. In addition we have made over £500 million available since 2010 to local authorities and the voluntary sector to prevent and tackle homelessness and rough sleeping including support for victims of domestic abuse.

In November 2014 we made available £10 million (2014-16) for local authorities, working with specialist domestic abuse service providers, to stop the closure of refuges and improve and grow existing provision. We also issued new statutory guidance that makes clear the practice of providing refuge to support only to local victims is unacceptable and it also set out clear standards that refuge services should meet.

The dynamics of domestic abuse mean that accommodation can play an important role in the resolution of interpersonal abuse and conflict. This is why the homelessness legislation in England provides one of the strongest safety nets in the world for families with children and for vulnerable people who become homeless through no fault of their own.

We also fund UKRefugesOnline a UK wide database of domestic violence services which supports the national 24 hour free phone domestic violence helpline. This service enables those working with victims of domestic violence to identify appropriate services and potential refuge vacancies around the country so that victims can get the help they need as quickly as possible.

In addition, this Government has ring-fenced nearly £40 million of funding for specialist local domestic and sexual violence support services until 2015. This funding is used to part-fund 54 multi-agency risk assessment conference co-ordinators and 144 independent domestic violence advisers. We have piloted and rolled out Clare’s Law and domestic violence protection orders; extended the definition of domestic abuse to cover controlling behaviour and teenage relationships; run two successful campaigns to challenge perceptions of abuse; and placed Domestic Homicide Reviews on a statutory footing to make sure lessons are learned from individual tragedies. More recently the Home Secretary announced our intention to table an amendment to the Serious Crime Bill at Commons Committee stage to create a new offence of domestic abuse. The amendment was tabled on 8 January and closes the gap in the current legal framework to capture repeated or continuous coercive and controlling behaviour, specifically where that behaviour takes place in an ongoing intimate partner or inter-familial relationship.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Seema Malhotra on 2015-01-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what support her Department makes available to service families experiencing, or at risk of, domestic violence.

Anna Soubry

The Ministry of Defence does not tolerate domestic violence; neither do we consider it to be a purely private matter. The Department’s position is set out for all staff in a Joint Service Publication which raises awareness about our policy and the sources of help available to everyone in the Service community. This helps Service personnel who are experiencing domestic violence, or who are aware of someone else who is experiencing violence, know what to do to seek help and have the confidence to do so.

In parallel, there is a comprehensive range of sources of help in place to support members of Service families who are victims of domestic violence. This includes single-Service welfare providers, specialist welfare and personnel staff, and helplines. Practical help available includes alternative service accommodation and referral to specialist services such as a refuge.

We have recently released a DVD entitled "Domestic Abuse – Where to Find Help" as a resource providing information about how to seek help for those experiencing domestic abuse within the Service community. In addition, a LIBOR funded project, which is planned to be launched in March 2015, will provide a source of information on the gov.uk website about domestic abuse specifically designed for Service personnel, their families and professionals such as specialist welfare officers and social workers.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Seema Malhotra on 2015-01-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress her Department has made on implementation of the violence against women and girls action plan.

Lynne Featherstone

The Government is committed to ending violence against women in all its forms. We published our cross-government strategy, ‘A Call to End Violence Against Women and Girls’ in 2010 and have published supporting action plans with
updates on progress each year since 2011. We have ring-fenced nearly £40 million of stable funding up to 2015 for specialist local support services and national helplines.

We have criminalised forced marriage, introduced two new stalking offences, piloted new ways of protecting the victims of domestic violence and sex workers and we have launched prevention campaigns to tackle rape and relationship abuse
amongst teenagers. We recently announced a new offence of domestic abuse to tackle coercive and controlling behaviour.

The 2014-2015 Action Plan details recent progress and on 8 March this year, we will publish a full progress report on the implementation of the strategy.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Seema Malhotra on 2015-01-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what guidance his Department has issued on the treatment in the criminal treatment system of women experiencing domestic violence.

Mike Penning

Domestic abuse is the worst possible violation of the trust that those in close relationships place in one another. That is why tackling domestic violence and abuse has been one of this Government’s top priorities. We are committed to ensuring that victims of this serious crime are considered in all aspects of the criminal justice system, and supported appropriately.

The Victims’ Code was implemented in December 2013. It sets out to criminal justice agencies the enhanced services and support they must provide to victims of the most serious crimes, including victims of domestic violence. This includes providing information on pre-trial therapy and counselling and referral to specialist organisations for support.

As part of the current pilot of adult out-of-court disposals, the Ministry of Justice has issued guidance to the three participating police forces (Staffordshire, West Yorkshire, and Leicestershire) setting out how the framework should be used for low-level offences involving domestic violence. The guidance imposes a number of restrictions on the forces and requires them to obtain the victim’s consent for the matter to be dealt with out of court.

In addition, the National Offender Management Service’s framework Supporting Women offenders who have experienced domestic or sexual violence, published in September 2011, is designed to provide guidance to those working with female offenders in custody and the community. The framework intends to ensure that interventions and services take place within an environment in which women who have been victims of domestic violence are able to both disclose abuse and receive support and advice in a safe, female only environment.

In addition to these pieces of guidance, my Right Honourable Friend, the Secretary of State for the Home Department has issued the Violence Against Women and Girls Action Plan, which sets out the Government’s approach to tackling domestic violence and abuse, and is supported by guidance to victims, their friends, families, employers and colleagues.