Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make grants from her Department to local authorities to enable them to provide funds to victims of domestic violence.

The Home Office is providing £17m through the Violence Against Women and Girls Service Transformation Fund to support 41 local areas across England and Wales for services for victims and survivors of violence against women and girls, including domestic abuse.

This funding forms part of a wider commitment of £100m through to 2020, which includes a two-year £20m fund from DCLG to local authorities for refuges and accommodation-based services for 16/17 and 17/18 that is supporting 76 projects and creating 2,200 new bed spaces in refuges and other specialist accommodation. An additional £7.5m through the Tampon Tax Fund is also used to support charities that work with victims and survivors of violence against women and girls.

Police and Crime Commissioners are best placed to make decision about funding according to local priorities, and the Ministry of Justice provide them with £63m per year for support services for victims of crime in their local areas, including to victims and survivors of domestic abuse.Last year, the Government launched a ‘National Statement of Expectations for Violence Against Women and Girls Services’ to set out a clear blueprint for good local commissioning and service provision, which is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/574665/VAWG_National_Statement_of_Expectations_-_FINAL.PDF.