Oral Answers to Questions

Eddie Hughes Excerpts

Monday 8th January 2018 Commons Chamber

[Eddie Hughes (Walsall North) (Con)]

11. What steps her Department is taking to tackle violence against women and girls.

[Maria Caulfield (Lewes) (Con)]

14. What steps her Department is taking to tackle violence against women and girls.

[The Secretary of State for the Home Department (Amber Rudd)]

In March 2016 we published the cross-Government violence against women and girls strategy, which sets out an ambitious programme of reform and is supported by increased funding of £100 million. We will also introduce a draft domestic abuse Bill to transform our approach to domestic abuse, to support victims better, and to bring perpetrators to justice.

[Eddie Hughes]

What action are the Government taking to support refuges for women fleeing domestic violence in Walsall and throughout the Black country, whose excellent staff do so much to protect the safety of women and children?

[Amber Rudd]

My hon. Friend is right: excellent work is being done in the Black country to support women and children. When I visited a Women’s Aid Black country refuge, it was impressive to see the excellent work that was being done there. I can reassure my hon. Friend that Walsall Council received a share of £639,000 of funding from the Department for Communities and Local Government—it is £40 million in all—in partnership with local authorities across the Black country. In addition, Wolverhampton and Birmingham received £1.1 million between them from the Department for early intervention projects.