Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Domestic Abuse: Prosecutions

Tuesday 8 February 2022 · 3 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 3 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Government committed to bringing more perpetrators of domestic abuse to justice through new offences in the Domestic Abuse Act 2021.
  • Minister condemned reports of Met police conduct that undermine work on domestic abuse, citing ongoing Angiolini inquiry and inspections.
  • Government plans to implement local criminal justice scorecards to address issues related to rape and improve treatment of victims in the justice system.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Laura Farris
Crime & Law Enforcement
Context

The question arises due to concerns about the number of successful prosecutions for domestic abuse cases.

Question

What steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help increase the number of successful prosecutions for domestic abuse?

Answer from Dominic Raab

This Government are committed to bringing more perpetrators of domestic abuse to justice. It is a key plank of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, which creates new offences such as non-fatal strangulation and extends the coercive or controlling behaviour offence to include former partners.

Partly answered

Not addressed: No specific steps or actions are provided on how to increase prosecution rates.

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Q2 Laura Farris
Policing & Resources Crime & Law Enforcement Justice & Courts
Context

Reports of misconduct by Metropolitan police officers towards domestic abuse victims have raised concerns about the confidence of victims in the criminal justice system.

Question

The excellent work the Government have done on domestic abuse risks being seriously undermined by recent reports of Met police conduct published by the Independent Office for Police Conduct. What work is my right hon. Friend doing with the Home Secretary to ensure that domestic abuse victims retain confidence in the criminal justice system?

Answer from Dominic Raab

I thank my hon. Friend, who is absolutely right. The remarks she cited are utterly abhorrent I would imagine to everyone on all sides of the House. We have tasked the Angiolini inquiry and inspections are ongoing in forces across England and Wales to judge their vetting and counter-corruption capabilities. Funding for support services has increased to £185 million by 2024-25, which will help fund an increase—by about a half, up to 1,000—in the number of independent domestic abuse advisers.

Partly answered

Not addressed: While addressing misconduct and funding, no specific measures are given to maintain victim confidence.

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Q3 Anna McMorrin Lab Cardiff North
Justice & Courts
Context

Victims of domestic abuse face trauma when reporting incidents, cross-examination in court, and collapsing prosecutions. There is a need for proper support to help these victims.

Question

Domestic abuse victims face the trauma of first gaining courage to report it, fearing safety, wondering if their truth will be believed, then facing this broken justice system: being cross-examined, questioned, treated like criminals. With prosecutions collapsing and criminals let off, the Government cannot keep letting victims down, so will the Secretary of State commit to putting in place a proper package of training, specialist support and trauma counselling for all victims?

Answer from Dominic Raab

I totally agree with the hon. Lady's sentiment and frustration. We need to do more. The local criminal justice scorecards will deal with rape, coming up in the first quarter of this year. The victims strategy and consultation will put victims at the centre of the justice system. A wider domestic abuse strategy will be outlined later in the year.

Partly answered

Not addressed: No specific commitment to a training or support package is given, only future strategies are mentioned.

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