Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions she has had with the (a) Home Secretary and (b) Minister for Women and Equalities on (i) level of funding and (ii) future sustainability for the holistic advocacy wrap around service provided by Southall Black Sisters.

All Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) in England and Wales receive annual grant funding from the Ministry of Justice’s victim and witness budget to commission local practical, emotional, and therapeutic support services for victims. This includes ‘core’ funding for victims of all crime types and funding that is ring-fenced for sexual violence and domestic abuse services. PCCs allocate funding locally at their discretion, based on their assessment of local need. PCCs are best placed to understand their local communities and providers, and to commission appropriate support services to meet the need of victims in their area. Such services will include specialist organisations like the Southall Black Sisters.

The Ministry of Justice is not involved in local commissioning decisions.

Ministry of Justice officials engage regularly with the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime regarding their grant funding and locally commissioned services.

I co-chair the Violence Against Women and Girls Board joint ministerial group with the Home Office Minister for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls. This board is attended by other government departments that are working together on the VAWG strategy.