Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on improving protections for domestic abuse survivors.

The Ministry of Justice works closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) to improve protections and support for victims and survivors of domestic abuse. Through our cross-government approach to tackling Violence Against Women and Girls, we are strengthening access to safe accommodation, improving support for victims with complex needs, and delivering a more joined-up response across housing, justice and local services.

Through the Social Housing Bill, which my Department is supporting, MHCLG is introducing stronger protections for social housing tenants experiencing domestic abuse, including measures to help victims remain safely in their homes, transfer joint tenancies into their sole name where appropriate, and prevent perpetrators from using housing arrangements to continue abuse. Alongside this, MHCLG is providing £499 million over the next three years through the Domestic Abuse Safe Accommodation Duty to help ensure victims fleeing abuse can access safe accommodation, while my Department is investing over £550 million over the same period in victim support services, and working to improve victims’ experiences of the justice system.