Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Violence against Women and Girls

Tuesday 28 January 2025 · 2 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 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Ministerial Questions addressed concerns about low conviction rates for domestic abuse.
  • Funding and prioritisation are being increased to combat domestic abuse.
  • Government is reviewing the presumption of parental contact in family courts.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Rosie Duffield Ind Canterbury
Crime & Law Enforcement Women & Equalities
Context

The Domestic Abuse Commissioner found that just 5% of reported domestic abuse results in a conviction, raising concerns about the effectiveness of investigations into non-crime hate incidents.

Question

Last week, the Domestic Abuse Commissioner found that just 5% of reported domestic abuse results in a conviction. Does the Minister share my concerns that lengthy investigations into non-crime hate incidents are potentially diverting vital resources from the criminal justice system and from prosecuting actual violence against women and girls?

Answer from Sarah Sackman (The Minister of State, Ministry of Justice)

The hon. Member is right to remark on the low charging and conviction rates for domestic abuse. We have an ambition to drive those up. That is why we are putting more funding and more prioritisation into this area and calling on our agencies, whether it is the police or the Crown Prosecution Service, to really focus on it, because right now we are not doing enough for women and girls.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not provide specific measures or timeline for increasing charging and conviction rates

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Q2 Alistair Strathern Lab Hitchin
Children & Families
Context

The presumption of parental contact during family court proceedings for women suffering domestic abuse raises concerns about prolonging abuse.

Question

The tragic reality for many women who suffer domestic abuse and then have to go through family court proceedings on top of it is that the presumption of parental contact provides another opportunity for perpetrators of domestic abuse to prolong it. The Government are rightly reviewing this. Will Ministers ensure that we make the most of this opportunity to better protect women who suffer domestic abuse through the family court system?

Answer from Sarah Sackman (The Minister of State, Ministry of Justice)

My hon. Friend is right to make that point. Our family courts should never become sites of retraumatisation for victims of domestic abuse. We are reviewing the presumption, and when we are ready, we will publish the findings and our policy response to that review.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not specify timeline or concrete measures in the review process

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