Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to implement the actions identified for it in the Government's Ending Violence against Women and Girls Strategy 2016-2020, published in March 2016; and when a member of staff from his Department last attended a Violence against Women and Girls Stakeholder Meeting chaired by the Home Office.

The Department and its arm’s length bodies are taking forward 13 actions from the Ending Violence against Women and Girls Strategy. The officials involved meet regularly to discuss developments on a bilateral basis and all come together at quarterly meetings on child sexual abuse. Progress on actions is reported through cross-Government arrangements hosted by the Home Office.

Initially, stakeholder meetings were not aimed at other Government Departments but the Home Office is planning to invite officials from other Government Departments to future events as a matter of course. Departmental officials have continued to meet with stakeholders including Agenda, SafeLives, Women’s Aid, the Royal College of Nursing and with Department for Communities and Local Government and Home Office officials.