Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions she has had with the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police on domestic violence against men.

Domestic abuse is a devastating crime and the Government is committed to doing everything we can to tackle it. Domestic abuse affects men as well as women and last year we published a dedicated male victims position statement to recognise the needs of male victims and to clarify and strengthen our response.

The Home Office funds the Men’s Advice Line which provides support and advice to male victims of domestic abuse. This helpline received additional funding from the £2m announced by the Home Secretary on April 11 to bolster domestic abuse helplines during COVID-19. On 19 May the Home Office announced £2m of funding to charities with a national or regional presence which will provide further support for male and female victims of domestic abuse.

We have also provided £500,000 to improve support to male victims of domestic abuse and provided funding to Galop which provides advice and support to LGBT+ populations affected by domestic abuse, including for the National LGBT+ Domestic Abuse Helpline. This helpline also received additional funding from the £2m announced by the Home Secretary.

The Government domestic abuse awareness raising campaign under the hashtag #YouAreNotAlone, signposts victims to sources of advice and support. Details of these services can be found at www.gov.uk/domestic-abuse

The Home Office regularly engages with police forces on a wide range of domestic abuse issues.