Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of recent trends in domestic violence offences; and if she will make a statement.

The latest data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed that there was an 18% increase in domestic abuse related offences recorded by the police in England and Wales in the year to June 2017. ONS identify better recording and increased victim confidence as likely behind this rise. At the same time, the long-term trend on the prevalence of domestic abuse, as measured by the Crime Survey of England and Wales, is downward, with the latest estimate from the Crime Survey being the lowest since the series began.

However, despite this progress, the Crime Survey still estimates that there are approximately 2 million victims a year. That’s why this Government will bring forward a landmark Domestic Violence and Abuse Bill to transform our approach to domestic abuse to ensure that victims have the confidence to come forward and report their experiences, safe in the knowledge that the state and the justice system will support them.