Asked by: Suella Braverman (Reform UK - Fareham and Waterlooville)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to reduce taxpayer funding of legal representation of proscribed (a) people and (b) organisations.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
This Government has made no assessment of limiting legal aid to members of proscribed organisations but will keep the matter under review.
Asked by: Suella Braverman (Reform UK - Fareham and Waterlooville)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether her Department has made an estimate of the number of independent domestic violence advisors working (a) in Fareham and Waterlooville constituency and (b) nationally.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
This Government was elected on a landmark pledge to halve violence against women and girls (VAWG) over the next decade, and tackling domestic abuse is a core part of this mission. We will use every lever within our power and work with key partners across Government to deliver against this ambition.
Domestic abuse-related crimes are complex and require time and specialist resource to investigate. This Government has committed to ensuring police have the right skills and training to respond appropriately to victims of VAWG to significantly improve standards across the board and to ensure justice is delivered for victims throughout the criminal justice system.
We recognise that some domestic abuse victims will be impacted by the delays in the Crown Court. We have already taken decisive action to increase the capacity of the Crown Court - including funding a record allocation of 110,000 sitting days in the Crown Court this financial year. However, the scale of the challenge is beyond what increasing sitting days can achieve. This is why this Government asked Sir Brian Leveson to conduct a review into measures which could be adopted to deliver swifter justice for victims, including victims of domestic abuse.
Depending on their needs and the nature of their case, victims may receive specialist support, for example from an Independent Domestic Violence Adviser (IDVA). IDVAs support victims of domestic abuse, in a trauma-informed way which aims to reduce risk, promote recovery and re-empowerment, and help victims navigate various systems and challenges through informed choices. Where relevant, IDVAs can provide a victim with emotional and practical support through the justice process.
There is no comprehensive dataset on the numbers of Independent Domestic Violence Advisers (IDVAs). The 42 Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) in England and Wales receive annual grant funding from the Ministry of Justice’s victim and witness budget to commission local practical, emotional, and therapeutic support services for victims of all crime types. This includes IDVA support. As part of reporting data, the Ministry of Justice collects information on the provision of PCC commissioned domestic abuse support, including IDVAs. Other local commissioners including Local Authorities and local NHS bodies will also fund IDVAs, and some third sector organisation will secure funding for IDVAs via other routes.
Asked by: Suella Braverman (Reform UK - Fareham and Waterlooville)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the (a) legal process for domestic abuse victims and (b) advice given to abuse victims by investigating advisors.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
This Government was elected on a landmark pledge to halve violence against women and girls (VAWG) over the next decade, and tackling domestic abuse is a core part of this mission. We will use every lever within our power and work with key partners across Government to deliver against this ambition.
Domestic abuse-related crimes are complex and require time and specialist resource to investigate. This Government has committed to ensuring police have the right skills and training to respond appropriately to victims of VAWG to significantly improve standards across the board and to ensure justice is delivered for victims throughout the criminal justice system.
We recognise that some domestic abuse victims will be impacted by the delays in the Crown Court. We have already taken decisive action to increase the capacity of the Crown Court - including funding a record allocation of 110,000 sitting days in the Crown Court this financial year. However, the scale of the challenge is beyond what increasing sitting days can achieve. This is why this Government asked Sir Brian Leveson to conduct a review into measures which could be adopted to deliver swifter justice for victims, including victims of domestic abuse.
Depending on their needs and the nature of their case, victims may receive specialist support, for example from an Independent Domestic Violence Adviser (IDVA). IDVAs support victims of domestic abuse, in a trauma-informed way which aims to reduce risk, promote recovery and re-empowerment, and help victims navigate various systems and challenges through informed choices. Where relevant, IDVAs can provide a victim with emotional and practical support through the justice process.
There is no comprehensive dataset on the numbers of Independent Domestic Violence Advisers (IDVAs). The 42 Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) in England and Wales receive annual grant funding from the Ministry of Justice’s victim and witness budget to commission local practical, emotional, and therapeutic support services for victims of all crime types. This includes IDVA support. As part of reporting data, the Ministry of Justice collects information on the provision of PCC commissioned domestic abuse support, including IDVAs. Other local commissioners including Local Authorities and local NHS bodies will also fund IDVAs, and some third sector organisation will secure funding for IDVAs via other routes.
Asked by: Suella Braverman (Reform UK - Fareham and Waterlooville)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of support for domestic violence victims in the criminal justice system.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
This Government was elected on a landmark pledge to halve violence against women and girls (VAWG) over the next decade, and tackling domestic abuse is a core part of this mission. We will use every lever within our power and work with key partners across Government to deliver against this ambition.
Domestic abuse-related crimes are complex and require time and specialist resource to investigate. This Government has committed to ensuring police have the right skills and training to respond appropriately to victims of VAWG to significantly improve standards across the board and to ensure justice is delivered for victims throughout the criminal justice system.
We recognise that some domestic abuse victims will be impacted by the delays in the Crown Court. We have already taken decisive action to increase the capacity of the Crown Court - including funding a record allocation of 110,000 sitting days in the Crown Court this financial year. However, the scale of the challenge is beyond what increasing sitting days can achieve. This is why this Government asked Sir Brian Leveson to conduct a review into measures which could be adopted to deliver swifter justice for victims, including victims of domestic abuse.
Depending on their needs and the nature of their case, victims may receive specialist support, for example from an Independent Domestic Violence Adviser (IDVA). IDVAs support victims of domestic abuse, in a trauma-informed way which aims to reduce risk, promote recovery and re-empowerment, and help victims navigate various systems and challenges through informed choices. Where relevant, IDVAs can provide a victim with emotional and practical support through the justice process.
There is no comprehensive dataset on the numbers of Independent Domestic Violence Advisers (IDVAs). The 42 Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) in England and Wales receive annual grant funding from the Ministry of Justice’s victim and witness budget to commission local practical, emotional, and therapeutic support services for victims of all crime types. This includes IDVA support. As part of reporting data, the Ministry of Justice collects information on the provision of PCC commissioned domestic abuse support, including IDVAs. Other local commissioners including Local Authorities and local NHS bodies will also fund IDVAs, and some third sector organisation will secure funding for IDVAs via other routes.
Asked by: Suella Braverman (Reform UK - Fareham and Waterlooville)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will launch an independent inquiry into family courts in England and Wales to establish (a) how victims of domestic violence are treated, (b) whether the process under which parents convicted of domestic violence are given access to children is adequate and (c) whether the courts should be more transparent in their handling of domestic violence cases and the protection of children involved in such cases.
Answered by Paul Maynard
On 21 May 2019 the Ministry of Justice announced a public call for evidence to develop our understanding of how the family courts protect children and parents in cases of domestic abuse and other serious offences. Specifically, the call for evidence will focus on the application of Practice Direction 12J, Practice Direction 3AA, The Family Procedure Rules Part 3A, and s.91(14) orders, and will build a more detailed understanding of any harm caused during or following proceedings in the family court where there are allegations of domestic abuse. The written call for evidence was launched on 19 July and will run for 6 weeks.
This call for evidence is coordinated by a panel of experts whose membership includes academics, members of the judiciary, and representatives from third sector bodies which represent or advocate for victims of domestic abuse, all of whom are independent of the Government. The panel will gather and interpret evidence from a full range of interested parties, to enable us to address appropriately any issues with the application of protections available in the family courts.
It is important that the Family Justice System strikes an appropriate balance between rightly protecting the confidentially of the individual children and family members, but also maintaining as open and transparent approach to court decisions as possible in these circumstances.