Oral Answers to Questions

Vicky Foxcroft Excerpts

Monday 24th April 2017 Commons Chamber

[Andrew Percy]

It is a delight to get a question from my other neighbour. Across northern Lincolnshire more generally, we have seen the council in north Lincolnshire actually open new public toilets. We recently allocated £20 million to northern powerhouse projects through the coastal communities fund. There will be a further round of bidding in October. If the local coastal community team wants to come forward with a proposal that includes that, we will, of course, look at it.

[Vicky Foxcroft (Lewisham, Deptford) (Lab)]

22. What recent assessment the Government have made of the adequacy of the availability of domestic violence refuges for women.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (Mr Marcus Jones)]

Refuges provide vital support for victims of domestic abuse. Since 2014, we have invested more than £33 million in services, including refuges, to support victims of domestic abuse. We expect local areas to assess their need and provide services and support to meet that need.

[Vicky Foxcroft]

I have one refuge for women in my area. With 17% of specialist refuges in England lost since 2010, what are the Government doing to protect this vital lifeline for women and children?

[Mr Jones]

The Government take this issue extremely seriously. No person should be turned away from the support they need. We announced in February that 76 projects across the country will receive a share of £20 million to support victims of domestic abuse, creating 2,200 extra bed spaces and giving support to more than 19,000 victims. That includes additional funding to the hon. Lady’s area of Lewisham.