Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Violence against Women and Girls

Wednesday 30 November 2022 · 5 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

  • Tackling violence against women and girls is a Government priority with significant progress made since publishing the cross-Government strategy and plan.
  • The Government introduced the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 to address prevention, education, victim support, and perpetrator pursuit.
  • The Minister encourages patience for upcoming news regarding sex-based harassment legislation, acknowledging the merit in recommendations from organizations like the Girl Guides.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Gill Furniss Lab Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough
Women & Equalities
Context

The questioner asks about discussions on tackling violence against women and girls, referencing the government's strategy and plan.

Question

What recent discussions has she had with Cabinet colleagues on tackling violence against women and girls? She notes that significant progress was made since publishing the cross-Government tackling violence against women and girls strategy and the tackling domestic abuse plan. The national communications campaign “Enough” was launched, resulting in tens of thousands of visits to the website.

Answer from Sarah Dines

Tackling violence against women and girls is a Government priority. Significant progress has been made since publishing the cross-Government tackling violence against women and girls strategy and the tackling domestic abuse plan, including launching our national communications campaign “Enough” and allocating £55 million of extra funding for CCTV and street lighting to prevent these crimes.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific details on recent discussions with Cabinet colleagues were not provided

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Q2 Virendra Sharma Lab
Crime & Law Enforcement Justice & Courts
Context

New statistics show that only one in ten victims of partner abuse reported it to the police last year. The questioner mentions the Solihull murders as an example of the importance of a strong police response.

Question

He asks if the Minister will listen to Labour and put a domestic abuse specialist in 999 control rooms so that victims who are most at risk can be identified and helped quickly.

Answer from Sarah Dines

The hon. Member is right to raise this issue, as it highlights the importance of a robust response to domestic abuse. The Government introduced the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 last year and supports prevention, education, supporting victims, pursuing perpetrators, and doing sensitive police work.

Not addressed: The specific ask about putting specialists in control rooms was not addressed

How: Took No Lessons From The Opposition

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Q3 Gill Furniss Lab Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough
Women & Equalities
Context

The questioner references shocking levels of racist and sexist abuse uncovered in the London Fire Brigade. The review describes women having to run a daily gauntlet of sexist abuse, including video calls from men exposing themselves.

Question

She asks if this will finally be the wake-up call that the Government needs to class misogyny as a hate crime in law.

Answer from Sarah Dines

The Government support proper education to protect people, including women and all other vulnerable people within the force. The Minister looks forward to Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London, tackling this issue.

Not addressed: The specific ask about classifying misogyny as a hate crime was not addressed

How: Ask Her Own Leaders First

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Q4 Caroline Nokes Con Romsey and Southampton North
Women & Equalities
Context

The Law Commission recommended a year ago that public sexual harassment should be made a specific crime. The questioner asks if the Minister agrees with Plan International, Girl Guides, Soroptimist International, Our Streets Now, and many other organisations in supporting the Protection from Sex-based Harassment in Public Bill.

Question

Does she agree with these organizations and will she either back the Protection from Sex-based Harassment in Public Bill or bring forward her own legislation?

Answer from Sarah Dines

The Minister thanks the right hon. Friend for her work and says that organisations such as the Girl Guides usually have merit in their recommendations. She asks to be patient, expecting some news in this space very soon.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific commitment or action was not provided

How: Slightly More Patience

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Q5 Anneliese Dodds Labour (Co-op) Oxford East
Crime & Law Enforcement Justice & Courts
Context

Following White Ribbon day, the questioner highlights that only 1.5% of reported rape and sexual violence offences resulted in a conviction last year.

Question

She asks why the Government will not introduce three measures: specialist rape courts, rape and domestic abuse specialists in every police force, and the domestic violence register.

Answer from Sarah Dines

The Government have undertaken a committed review of that area, including no adult rape crime victim left without a phone for more than 24 hours. The Minister expects all courts to deal with rape properly.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific commitment to the measures was not provided

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