House of Lords Official Report

Vol. 787 Monday No. 57 27 November 2017 PARLIAMENTARYDEBATES (HANSARD) HOUSE OF LORDS OFFICIAL REPORT ORDEROFBUSINESS Royal Engagement .............................................................................................................481 Questions Domestic Violence and Abuse Bill .................................................................................481 Whistleblowers................................................................................................................483 Domestic Violence: Police Resources .............................................................................485 Stalking ..........................................................................................................................488 European Union (Approvals) Bill Third Reading .................................................................................................................490 DfID Economic Development Strategy Motion to Take Note.......................................................................................................490 Randox and Trimega Laboratories Statement........................................................................................................................518 Industrial Strategy Statement........................................................................................................................522 Work: Lifelong Learning Motion to Take Note.......................................................................................................535 Exports: Africa and the Commonwealth Question for Short Debate..............................................................................................564 Lords wishing to be supplied with these Daily Reports should give notice to this effect to the Printed Paper Office. No proofs of Daily Reports are provided. Corrections for the bound volume which Lords wish to suggest to the report of their speeches should be clearly indicated in a copy of the Daily Report, which, with the column numbers concerned shown on the front cover, should be sent to the Editor of Debates, House of Lords, within 14 days of the date of the Daily Report. This issue of the Official Report is also available on the Internet at https://hansard.parliament.uk/lords/2017-11-27 The first time a Member speaks to a new piece of parliamentary business, the following abbreviations are used to show their party affiliation: Abbreviation Party/Group CB Cross Bench Con Conservative DUP Democratic Unionist Party GP Green Party Ind Lab Independent Labour Ind LD Independent Liberal Democrat Ind SD Independent Social Democrat Ind UU Independent Ulster Unionist Lab Labour LD Liberal Democrat LD Ind Liberal Democrat Independent Non-afl Non-affiliated PC Plaid Cymru UKIP UK Independence Party UUP Ulster Unionist Party No party affiliation is given for Members serving the House in a formal capacity, the Lords spiritual, Members on leave of absence or Members who are otherwise disqualified from sitting in the House. © Parliamentary Copyright House of Lords 2017, this publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Open Parliament licence, which is published at www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright/. 481 Royal Engagement [27 NOVEMBER 2017] Domestic Violence and Abuse Bill 482 House of Lords Baroness Manzoor (Con): My Lords, what progress has been made in tackling attacks with acid? Acid Monday 27 November 2017 attacks cause horrific injuries and have a dreadful impact on people’s lives. 2.30 pm Baroness Williams of Trafford: My noble friend is Prayers—read by the Lord Bishop of Worcester. absolutely right to raise this issue; it has been quite prevalent in recent months. Back in July,the Government put in place an action plan to tackle the use of acid Royal Engagement and other corrosive substances in violent attacks. It was based on four key strands: ensuring effective 2.36 pm support for victims, effective policing, ensuring that The Lord Speaker (Lord Fowler): My Lords, I would the relevant legislation is understood and applied, and liketo makea short statement following the announcement working to restrict access to acids and other harmful from Clarence House today of the engagement of His products. Royal Highness Prince Henry of Wales to Ms Meghan Markle. I am sure that Members from all sides of the Baroness Barker (LD): My Lords, lesbians, gay House will join me in congratulating the couple on men, trans men and trans women are also victims of this most happy occasion, and wishing them all the domestic violence and are often very isolated. Can the very best for their future together. Minister assure the House that, alongside other people’s, their access to services is always taken into consideration Noble Lords: Hear, hear! in the consultation on the strategy and will be safe? Baroness Williams of Trafford: The noble Baroness Domestic Violence and Abuse Bill makes a very valid point about LGBT victims of Question domestic abuse, because, of course, they are not exempt from the violence that people suffer. Any LGBT group 2.36 pm can make representations to the consultation, and we Asked by Baroness Donaghy have a national helpline for LGBT victims of domestic violence. We also made it clear in our national statement To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the of expectations on domestic violence that we expected proposed Domestic Violence and Abuse Bill will anybody who needed help to receive it, irrespective of include measures to prevent violence against women their sexuality or, indeed, their sex. and girls as well as criminal justice measures to deal with perpetrators. Baroness Uddin (Non-Afl): My Lords, the Minister will be aware that Women’s Aid has raised concerns The Minister of State, Home Office (Baroness Williams about the suggestion that refuges be localised. Will she of Trafford) (Con): My Lords, this Government are ensure that the proposed Bill provides for mandatory committed to a rigorous and comprehensive consultation nationwide access to refuge services and resources for on the proposed domestic violence and abuse Bill to all those who seek refuge? identify all the legislative and non-legislative measures that we can take to truly transform our approach to Baroness Williams of Trafford: I was part of the domestic abuse. The Government recognise that it is conversations on local delivery that took place in critical to look beyond criminal justice measures and DCLG. We made it clear that we thought local areas also to focus on what we can do to prevent abuse and were best placed to deliver the services appropriate to violence in the first place. their locality, and set out the national expectations for delivery at a local level. We also made it clear that if Baroness Donaghy (Lab): I thank the Minister for things did not work out locally, we were prepared to that reply, and I am reassured by it. Could she give an legislate. However,the national statement of expectations indication of when the Bill will be before us? Has she seems to be playing out quite favourably. consulted the various women’s groups which have expressed anxiety up until now about the narrow Baroness Newlove (Con): My Lords, as Victims’ scope of the Bill? For instance, Women’s Aid has made Commissioner, I have not been privy to the preparation a number of recommendations about mandatory of the Government’s consultation on the domestic relationship and sex education. Has she consulted it? abuse Bill. Therefore, will my noble friend the Minister When will we be looking at the Bill? say whether the Bill will include statutory provisions to prevent perpetrators of abuse pursuing their victims Baroness Williams of Trafford: The noble Baroness through the family courts? is absolutely right to make the point about engagement with the various women’s groups and charities. Of Baroness Williams of Trafford: My noble friend course, they are the best placed to advise us on the Bill makes a very good point about victims of domestic going forward. We are putting out a consultation violence who quite often face further intimidation document and I fully expect that the types of groups and, I would say, abuse as perpetrators seek to pursue she talked about will be fully engaged with it. Other them through the family courts. Certainly, the MoJ is issues will also come out in the consultation process so considering this issue in relation to victims of domestic we will have a well-informed Bill when it comes forward. violence in the family courts. 483 Domestic Violence and Abuse Bill [LORDS] Whistleblowers 484 Lord Morris of Aberavon (Lab): My Lords, can I concerned, who is from the UK banking sector, asked assume that the proposed Bill has adequate measures me in due course not to name them for fear of persecution. to deal with the acid attacks as raised by the noble Will the Minister agree to meet me and the organisation Baroness? Whistleblowers UK to review the shocking evidence that, far from being respected for their bravery, Baroness Williams of Trafford: As I said to the whistleblowers are frequently made unemployable or noble Baroness, the Government are certainly looking impoverished, and many are driven into mental illness? at how we can prevent acid attacks, in a domestic Does he also agree that the FCA should do a great violence setting or otherwise. The consultation will be deal more as a regulator to support them, particularly an opportunity for people to bring forward suggestions in their legal costs? Finally, what message does he feel about what should

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