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 the number of refuge services available to people fleeing domestic violence.

Many local areas already provide services that ensure those fleeing from devastating abuse have somewhere safe to go, but this has not been uniform across the country and the right support has not always been available for all victims.

That is why we introduced a new statutory duty on local authorities within the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 to ensure that all victims, including children, have access to safety and support within safe accommodation when they need it.

This has been backed by £125 million funding for 2021/22 and a further £125 million funding will be allocated to local authorities for the delivery of their duties in 2022/23.

Local authorities are required to report back to Government on a yearly basis on how they have delivered their duties and I am chairing, alongside the Domestic Abuse commissioner, a National Expert Steering Group to oversee delivery and ensure it meets the needs of all victims.