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Written Question
Refuges
Friday 28th April 2023

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.


Written Question
Refuges
Friday 28th April 2023

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.


Written Question
Social Rented Housing: Construction
Thursday 21st October 2021

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, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of social house building rates.

Answered by Eddie Hughes

We recognise the need to build more social housing, and since 2010 we have delivered over 542,400 new affordable homes, including over 382,300 affordable homes for rent.

To increase this further we are investing over £12 billion in affordable housing over 5 years, the largest investment in affordable housing in a decade. This includes the new £11.5 billion Affordable Homes Programme (AHP), which will provide up to 180,000 new homes across the country, should economic conditions allow. Approximately half of the homes delivered will be for sub-market rent, and we will deliver more than twice as many homes for social rent as the current programme, with around 32,000 social rent homes.


Written Question
Rented Housing
Thursday 21st October 2021

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, what plans he has to bring forward legislative proposals to deliver a new deal for renters.

Answered by Eddie Hughes

The Government remains committed to building back fairer and delivering a better deal for renters. We will publish a White Paper setting out a package of reforms that create a fairer private rented sector that works for both tenants and landlords. We are undertaking robust and structured stakeholder engagement working with the sector to inform this while also learning from the pandemic and its impact on the sector. We will bring forward legislation in due course and when parliamentary time allows.


Written Question
Homelessness: Prisoners' Release
Monday 26th July 2021

Asked by: Jess Phillips (Labour - Birmingham, Yardley)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the Government plans to bring into force all the provisions under the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017; and what assessment he has made of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to better meet the needs of homeless female prison leavers.

Answered by Eddie Hughes

This Government is committed to ending rough sleeping this Parliament and fully enforcing the Homelessness Reduction Act.

We are working across government and with the Ministry of Justice to address the barriers offenders face in securing suitable accommodation and are aware of the specific complex needs of women prison leavers.

To reflect this we have updated the Homelessness Code of Guidance to ensure local authorities are equipped to identify the specific support needs of women leaving prison.

The Ministry of Justice has committed over £20 million to supporting prison leavers at risk of homelessness into temporary accommodation and will support individuals into long-term settled accommodation. My department secured funding at the 2020 Spending Review to support prison leavers at risk of homelessness into private rented sector tenancies. The Ministry of Justice has also opened Approved Premises for women.


Written Question
Supported Housing: Domestic Abuse
Tuesday 26th January 2021

Asked by: Jess Phillips (Labour - Birmingham, Yardley)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Supported housing: national statement of expectations, published on 20 October 2020, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that exempt accommodation providers housing victims of domestic abuse and their children meet the required standards.

Answered by Eddie Hughes

The National Statement of Expectations (NSE) is an important step in improving oversight of supported housing. The publication of the NSE sent a strong signal that the Government expects high standards to be met in housing across the supported exempt sector.

We are continuing to work with local government and the sector to improve standards for all residents in supported exempt accommodation. My officials will continue to work with Women’s Aid, and domestic abuse providers on this important issue.


Written Question
Domestic Abuse: Housing
Monday 25th January 2021

Asked by: Jess Phillips (Labour - Birmingham, Yardley)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if the Government will take steps to ensure that the regulations and guidance underpinning the statutory duty in the Domestic Abuse Bill will require local authorities to fund support in safe accommodation for victims of domestic abuse that meets quality standards.

Answered by Eddie Hughes

Government will make clear in statutory guidance underpinning the duty, that all support provided under the duty must be provided to victims of domestic abuse and their children, who reside in relevant accommodation which should meet the MHCLG Quality Standards, Women’s Aid National Quality Standards and / or Imkaan’s Accredited Quality Standards.

The regulations will also make clear that accommodation such as generic Bed and Breakfast accommodation is not considered relevant safe accommodation for the purposes of this duty, as it does not provide a safe place to stay for victims of domestic abuse.


Written Question
Domestic Abuse: Housing
Monday 25th January 2021

Asked by: Jess Phillips (Labour - Birmingham, Yardley)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of (a) risk assessment, (b) safeguarding and (c) support delivered by exempt accommodation providers which are housing victims of domestic abuse and their children.

Answered by Eddie Hughes

We are aware of concerns about the quality of accommodation and levels of support provided in a small minority of supported exempt accommodation and are working to address this issue as a priority.

In October 2020, we published the National Statement of Expectation on accommodation standards and best practice in the sector. We also announced £3.1 million of funding to run pilots in five local authorities, to drive up the quality of accommodation, undertake enforcement action, and test interventions to improve the provision of support and safeguarding. This will inform future policy on supported exempt accommodation. My officials continue to work with local authorities and domestic abuse organisations on this issue.

MHCLG published priorities for Domestic Abuse in 2016 [updated in 2018] to support local authorities to ensure victims receive the quality of support they need when they need it.

Through the new duty in the Domestic Abuse Bill, Government will also make clear to local authorities in statutory guidance the need for all support provided in relevant safe accommodation, to meet the MHCLG Quality Standards, Women’s Aid National Quality Standards and / or Imkaan’s Accredited Quality Standards.


Written Question
Hospital Beds: Domestic Abuse
Monday 25th January 2021

Asked by: Jess Phillips (Labour - Birmingham, Yardley)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many extra beds have been made available since 23 March 2020 specifically to victims of domestic abuse.

Answered by Eddie Hughes

The MHCLG £10 million Domestic Abuse COVID-19 Emergency Support Fund was allocated to 147 successful charity bids.  Grant recipients recently reported that, up to and including 30 September, they had created an additional 1046 bedspaces with a further 343 forecast to open through the winter.

In April 2020, my Department also released £16.6 million to 75 local authority-led projects across England for the delivery of support to victims of domestic abuse, and their children, within safe accommodation in 2020/21, helping up to 43,000 survivors.

Alongside these funds, MHCLG also put in place a system to enable local authorities who need additional accommodation to meet demand during the pandemic to book rooms for domestic abuse victims through Crown Commercial Services.


Written Question
Hospital Beds: Domestic Abuse
Monday 25th January 2021

Asked by: Jess Phillips (Labour - Birmingham, Yardley)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, of the £10 million made available by the Government for domestic abuse shelters' capacity (a) how many extra beds have been bought and (b) where those beds are located.

Answered by Eddie Hughes

The MHCLG £10 million Domestic Abuse COVID-19 Emergency Support Fund was allocated to 147 successful charity bids.  Grant recipients recently reported that, up to and including 30 September, they had created an additional 1046 bedspaces with a further 343 forecast to open through the winter.

The location of domestic abuse safe accommodation services are kept confidential to protect victim safety and MHCLG did not therefore require applicants to disclose information on where beds are located. However, I can confirm that funding was awarded to domestic abuse charitable organisations across all English regions.