Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the link between domestic abuse and victim suicide.

The Home Office is working to develop the evidence base on suicides that follow domestic abuse through funding the Domestic Homicide and Suspect Victim Suicides Project, which captures information on suicides with a known history of domestic abuse from all 43 police forces in England and Wales.

In the latest published data capturing deaths from April 2023 to March 2024, 262 deaths were counted, with 98 deaths (37%) classified as suspected victim suicides following domestic abuse. The full report can be found online: https://www.vkpp.org.uk/vkpp-work/domestic-homicide-project/

The Home Office also funds the organisation Advocacy After Fatal Domestic Abuse to support families bereaved by suicide and unexplained deaths following domestic abuse. However, we recognise that more needs to be done to understand the link between domestic abuse and suicide and ultimately prevent future deaths. Our upcoming Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Strategy will outline the Government's work going forward to better understand and prevent all domestic abuse related deaths.