Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Sexual Violence Support Services: Funding

Tuesday 24 February 2026 · 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

  • The Prime Minister prioritises tackling violence against women and girls, including supporting GPs with training and dedicated support workers to identify and refer victims.
  • An additional 5 million is being provided to enhance funding for specialist sexual violence support services.
  • The Secretary of State agrees that no survivor should wait up to two years for counselling and recognises the need to invest in NHS services for victims.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Calum Miller Lib Dem Bicester and Woodstock
NHS Women & Equalities
Context

The MP is concerned about the adequacy of health-related funding for specialised sexual violence support services in his constituency.

Question

What assessment has been made of the adequacy of health-related funding for specialist sexual violence support services?

Answer from Wes Streeting

The Prime Minister prioritises tackling violence against women and girls across all government sectors, including the NHS. GPs will be supported to identify, support, and refer victims to specialist services through training and a dedicated support worker per GP practice. An additional £5 million is allocated for victim support services, with up to £50 million funding specialist services for child sexual abuse victims.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific assessment requested about the adequacy of current funding was not directly addressed.

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Q2 Calum Miller Lib Dem Bicester and Woodstock
NHS Mental Health
Context

The MP visited Survivor Space in Oxford, a centre providing support to victims of sexual violence. He highlighted concerns about long wait times for counselling sessions and the inability of some survivors to access NHS mental health services without prior counselling.

Question

Visiting Survivor Space, I was shocked to learn that victims may wait up to two years for a counselling session and some cannot access NHS mental health services until they have had counselling from this centre. Does the Secretary of State agree no survivor should wait so long for treatment, and will he or one of his Ministers meet me and representatives of Survivor Space to discuss dedicated healthcare funding?

Answer from Wes Streeting

I agree with the hon. Member; voluntary sector support is critical but does not excuse the NHS from its duties. My Department recognises the responsibility of investing in services for victims, and I will ensure that a meeting takes place to discuss further funding needs.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific issue of long wait times was acknowledged without committing to addressing it directly.

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