Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to help survivors of domestic abuse and coercive control with the cost of living crisis.

We are aware increases in the cost of living may generate additional challenges for domestic abuse victims and survivors.

In many cases those who have experienced domestic abuse may have had to face economic abuse. This is where perpetrators control a victim’s ability to acquire, use or maintain money or other property, or their ability to obtain goods or services, which can make it more challenging for victims and survivors to leave an abuser.

Our Tackling Domestic Abuse Plan doubles investment to £200,000 to further improve the response to economic abuse and provide vital support and economic safety for victims.

More broadly, the Plan commits over £140 million to support victims of domestic abuse. The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 also extends the controlling or coercive behaviour offence to cover post-separation abuse. This ensures that those who continue to perpetrate abuse after the survivors stops living with them can be brought to justice.

In addition, the Tackling Domestic Abuse Plan commits to establish trials of a ‘flexible fund’, which charities could use to provide extra money to victims and survivors.