Domestic Abuse Bill introduced to Parliament

The government’s landmark Domestic Abuse Bill has been introduced in Parliament, with ministers stressing that the move marks a major step forward in transforming the response to this crime.

Following extensive work with stakeholders and charities, the government carried out a public consultation on measures to be included in the Bill that saw more than 3,200 responses before publishing a draft of the Bill in January.

Measures in the Bill include: introducing the first ever statutory government definition of domestic abuse, which will include economic abuse; establishing a Domestic Abuse Commissioner to champion victims and survivors; introducing new Domestic Abuse Protection Notices and Domestic Abuse Protection Orders to further protect victims and place restrictions on the actions of offenders; prohibiting the cross-examination of victims by their abusers in the family courts; and providing automatic eligibility for special measures to support more victims to give evidence in the criminal courts.

Home Secretary Sajid Javid said: “Domestic abuse destroys lives and tears families apart, but all too often it is hidden behind closed doors. This landmark Bill is an opportunity to help those who suffer this deeply harmful crime and support those who bring the perpetrators to justice.”

Simon Blackburn, chair of the Local Government Association’s Safer and Stronger Communities Board, said: “Tackling domestic abuse is an issue that councils take very seriously which is why we support a greater focus on prevention and early intervention measures to tackle the root causes and support more victims of this horrendous crime.

"The ability of councils to fund services for victims is limited by significant pressures on their budgets, with local authorities increasingly being forced to prioritise spending for those at immediate risk of harm, rather than on vital earlier support services and prevention schemes which help stop domestic abuse occurring in the first place.

“With local government facing an £8 billion funding gap by 2025, any legislative changes in this Bill must be matched with adequate resources and funding which the new Prime Minister needs to address in the Spending Review.”