Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department is taking steps to improve (a) the availability of and (b) access to legal aid for victims of violence and domestic abuse.

Domestic abuse is an abhorrent crime and this Government is determined to better protect and support the victims of abuse and their children. On 29 April the Domestic Abuse Act was signed into law, bringing in a wide range of measures to help protect victims and their families.

We want to support victims of domestic abuse for whom legal proceedings can be both traumatic and costly. The proposals put forward in the Means Test Review consultation will make it easier for domestic abuse victims to access legal aid, by making the means test more generous and by excluding disputed assets from the means test where they are the subject of the case. These changes will significantly widen access to legal aid, and we estimate that 2 million more people will have access to legal aid in civil cases) including for victims of domestic abuse, and will make any contributions more affordable.

We also intend to lay secondary legislation in Autumn 2022 to increase the flexibility with which medical professionals can provide supporting evidence to victims of domestic abuse.