Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps the Government is taking to improve access to support services for women suffering from domestic violence in east London boroughs.

The Government is committed to supporting victims of domestic abuse and ensuring that that they receive the support they need when they need it. In 2020/21, the Ministry of Justice provided around £12.2m to the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) to commission victim support services, including services for victims of domestic abuse. Further in 2020, given the impact of the Covid-19, two rounds of emergency funding were provided to Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) to specifically support victims of sexual violence and domestic abuse. MOPAC received around £4.5m. For 2021/22, the Ministry of Justice has committed to match the same levels of core funding for PCCs to ensure that victims continue to receive the support they need.

In addition, as part of an extra £40m package, £9.7m will be available for community-based services for domestic abuse and £16m to recruit more independent sexual violence and domestic abuse advisers (ISVAs/IDVAs). On 15 February, a further £11m was announced for the ISVA/IDVA fund meaning a total of £27m will be available. All of this funding will be distributed through PCCs including MOPAC.

Finally, on 12 February, it was announced that £125m would be provided to fund the new statutory duty, as part of the landmark Domestic Abuse Bill, for local authorities to provide safe accommodation for women and their children. This will ensure that women continue to be able to access vital support such as therapy, advocacy and counselling in safe accommodation.