Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will take steps to increase penalties for repeat offenders for crimes against women.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Vice Chamberlain (HM Household) (Whip, House of Commons)
Tackling violence against women and girls is a priority for this Government. Violence against women and girls is a term which encapsulates a wide range of behaviours and offences including domestic abuse, so-called honour-based abuse and sexual offences, many of which carry high maximum penalties, including life imprisonment. It does not relate to any single offence.
Sentencing in individual cases is a matter for our independent courts. When deciding what sentence to impose, courts must consider the circumstances of the case, including the culpability of the offender, the harm they caused, and any aggravating and mitigating factors.
Section 65 of Sentencing Act 2020 provides a statutory aggravating factor, that a court must ‘treat each previous conviction as an aggravating factor if (in the case of that conviction) the court considers that it can reasonably be so treated having regard’. Judges must consider the appropriate level of any sentence uplift justified by the factor, as part of considering the full circumstances of the case.
The Government is of course dedicated to ensuring that the harm caused by this form of offending is appropriately and proportionally reflected in the sentencing framework. Our manifesto committed to a review of sentencing to ensure the framework is up to date. The Independent Sentencing Review has been asked to specifically look at the sentencing of offences primarily committed against women and girls.
Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what funding her Department provided to the (a) Refuge National Domestic Abuse Helpline, (b) National Perpetrator Helpline, (c) Men’s Advice Line, (d) Galop national LGBT+ victims' Helpline, (e) National Stalking Helpline and (f) Revenge Porn Helpline in financial year (i) 2023-24 and (ii) 2024-25.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Home Office allocated funding to the following organisations in FY2023-24 and FY2024-25:
Name of organisation | FY2023-24 Allocation | FY2024-25 Allocation |
Refuge - National Domestic Abuse Helpline | £2,079,718 | £1,000,000 |
Respect – Perpetrator Helpline | £150,000 | £150,000 |
Respect – Men's Advice Line | £290,000 | £200,000 |
Galop – LGBT+ Victims Helpline | £200,000 | £200,000 |
Suzy Lamplugh Trust – Stalking Helpline | £160,430 | £160,430 |
South West Grid for London – Revenge Porn Helpline | £150,000 | £150,000 |
Karma Nirvanan – Honour Based Abuse Helpline | £165,000 | £165,000 |
Total | £3,195,148 | £2,025,430 |
The Home Office has allocated funding to Karma Nirvana – Honour Based Abuse Helpline as outlined in the table above.
Asked by: Zöe Franklin (Liberal Democrat - Guildford)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Solicitor General, what steps she is taking to increase prosecution rates for cases relating to violence against women and girls in Surrey.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
In 2023-24, in the Surrey police force area, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) prosecuted 487 cases flagged for domestic abuse and 41 cases flagged for rape.
The CPS uses thematic monitoring flags to track progress and performance surrounding certain types of cases within its case management system (CMS). "Flags " are identified and applied by lawyers and administrative staff. Monitoring flags currently exist within CMS for the following VAWG-related offences: rape; domestic abuse; so-called honour abuse / violence; forced marriage; and child abuse.
These figures for 2023-24 represent an increase from 434 and 30 in 2022-23, respectively.
The CPS has already produced a new operating model for the prosecution of rape based on robust evidence from Operation Soteria and launched the Domestic Abuse Joint Justice Plan with policing in November 2024. The early results of improvements in partnership working with policing under the plan have already led to modest initial increases in domestic abuse referrals, setting a strong foundation for future improvements.
In September 2024, the CPS prosecuted the third conviction for female genital mutilation (FGM) and the first conviction of conspiring to commit FGM in England and Wales. This marks a significant milestone and demonstrates the growing effectiveness of prosecuting these cases.
However, more can be done to increase prosecution rates for VAWG, in Surrey and across the country. This Government’s ambition is to halve violence against women and girls within a decade, as part of our Safer Streets Mission, and delivering effective prosecutions is a key part of this.
To address the increasing complexity of VAWG offending, and holistic needs of victims, the CPS is producing a new VAWG strategy which will be published in spring 2025.
Asked by: Mark Pritchard (Conservative - The Wrekin)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to reduce familial abuse.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
This Government is committed to tackling domestic and sexual abuse in all its forms. Achieving our aim of halving violence against women and girls in a decade will require a whole systems approach.
The Domestic Abuse Act (2021) recognises children as victims of domestic abuse in their own right when they see, hear or experience the effects of domestic abuse.
We recognise that domestic abuse and sexual violence can take many forms such as from family members in the context of so-called honour-based abuse, or older victims experiencing abuse from their partner or adult children. That is why we fund Hourglass and Karma Nirvana to deliver specialist helplines, which provide tailored support for older victims of domestic abuse and victims of honour-based abuse respectively.
This government also remains firmly committed to tackling all forms of child sexual abuse and working to keep children safe across the country. We are driving forward action right across government, education, children’s social care, health, policing, law enforcement, and working with industry, international and civil society partners to ensure we are all doing all that we can to tackle this horrific crime.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Sharpe of Epsom on 23 May (HL4639), when the findings of the feasibility study on the possibility of developing prevalence estimates for female genital mutilation and forced marriage will be published.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government has committed to halving violence against women and girls over the next decade. Combatting so-called ‘honour’-based abuse (HBA) is very much a part of this work. The Home Office commissioned the University of Birmingham in 2023 to conduct a feasibility study on the possibility of developing prevalence estimates for female genital mutilation and forced marriage.
We are currently considering the findings of the feasibility study and we will confirm our next steps shortly.
Asked by: Baroness Gohir (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government between 2018 and 2022 how many British citizens, if any, have reported being in a forced marriage to individuals in the UK who have students visas.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Shadow Minister (Business and Trade)
Since April 2019, police forces in England and Wales have been required to provide quarterly data returns to the Home Office on so-called ‘honour’-based abuse offences, including forced marriage. The most recent data show 172 forced marriage related offences recorded in the year ending March 2023.
In addition, the joint Home Office and Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Forced Marriage Unit (FMU) also publishes statistics on forced marriage cases reported to the unit. The most recent statistics show the FMU provided support in 280 cases of forced marriage in 2023.
The Home Office does not hold data on forced marriages relating to individuals with student visas.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Stewart of Dirleton on 29 March 2023 (HL6584), when the government-funded feasibility study on the prevalence of female genital mutilation and forced marriage in England and Wales will be published.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Shadow Minister (Business and Trade)
Since April 2019, the Home Office has required police forces to provide quarterly data returns on the number of offences they have recorded as being related to ‘honour’-based abuse, which includes FGM. In October 2023, the Home Office published the fourth set of these annual statistics, which included 84 offences relating to FGM covering the year to March 2023. Data on prosecutions is the responsibility of the Ministry of Justice.
Between April 2022 and March 2023, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) recorded one offence which was charged by the police under the Female Genital Mutilation Act 2003. This was discontinued at its first hearing due to an incorrect charge submitted by the police. Separately, in October 2023, a defendant was found guilty of aiding the female genital mutilation of a non-UK person contrary to section 3 of the Act. This defendant was originally charged in 2018.
In April 2023, the Home Office commissioned the University of Birmingham to conduct a feasibility study to determine whether it is possible to produce a robust prevalence estimate of FGM and forced marriage. This work is ongoing and decisions about next steps will be taken in due course.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many female genital mutilation offences were recorded between April 2022 and March 2023; and of those, how many prosecutions have occurred.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Shadow Minister (Business and Trade)
Since April 2019, the Home Office has required police forces to provide quarterly data returns on the number of offences they have recorded as being related to ‘honour’-based abuse, which includes FGM. In October 2023, the Home Office published the fourth set of these annual statistics, which included 84 offences relating to FGM covering the year to March 2023. Data on prosecutions is the responsibility of the Ministry of Justice.
Between April 2022 and March 2023, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) recorded one offence which was charged by the police under the Female Genital Mutilation Act 2003. This was discontinued at its first hearing due to an incorrect charge submitted by the police. Separately, in October 2023, a defendant was found guilty of aiding the female genital mutilation of a non-UK person contrary to section 3 of the Act. This defendant was originally charged in 2018.
In April 2023, the Home Office commissioned the University of Birmingham to conduct a feasibility study to determine whether it is possible to produce a robust prevalence estimate of FGM and forced marriage. This work is ongoing and decisions about next steps will be taken in due course.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to reduce crimes of (a) spiritual and (b) ritualistic abuse.
Answered by Laura Farris
Spiritual and ritualistic abuse abhorrent thought it is, is not ‘honour’-based abuse or VAWG. Therefore, we do not hold the information to respond to this PQ.
The Department for Education have previously worked on the child abuse linked to faith or belief action plan which was published on GOV.UK at Child abuse linked to faith or belief: national action plan - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of increasing safeguarding for people at risk of (a) spiritual and (b) ritualistic abuse.
Answered by Laura Farris
Spiritual and ritualistic abuse abhorrent thought it is, is not ‘honour’-based abuse or VAWG. Therefore, we do not hold the information to respond to this PQ.
The Department for Education have previously worked on the child abuse linked to faith or belief action plan which was published on GOV.UK at Child abuse linked to faith or belief: national action plan - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).