VAWG Service Funding Bias

#16 — Financial uncertainty significantly harms smaller 'by-and-for' VAWG services crucial for diverse survivor needs.

Public Accounts Committee

Recommendation: This financial uncertainty can have particularly devastating consequences on smaller, specialist organisations, including those run ‘by–and–for’ the people that they serve. Standing Together Against Domestic Abuse told us that funding ‘by–and–for’ services not only ensures adequate support for all survivors, …

Gov response: 3.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: Autumn 2025 3.2 The government is committed to delivering its ambition to halve VAWG in a decade, underpinned by a transformational approach to be …

Not Addressed

#15 — Short-term funding settlements critically undermine VAWG services' ability to recruit and retain specialist staff.

Public Accounts Committee

Recommendation: Written evidence submitted to the Committee highlights the impact that short–term funding settlements can have on locally run services’ ability to provide adequate, specialist support to survivors of VAWG. Women’s Aid told us that single–year finding settlements limit service providers’ …

Gov response: 3.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: Autumn 2025 3.2 The government is committed to delivering its ambition to halve VAWG in a decade, underpinned by a transformational approach to be …

Not Addressed

#3 — Mandate Home Office to outline coordinated cross-government VAWG spending and long-term funding stability.

Public Accounts Committee

Recommendation: Short–term and fragmented funding hinder government departments’ efforts to maximise the impact it is having both at the local and national level. The Home Office spent £149 million from April 2021 to the end of September 2024 tackling VAWG. Meanwhile, …

Gov response: The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. underpinned by a transformational approach to be set out in the upcoming VAWG Strategy. This includes ensuring that maximum stability is provided to the sector so that they …

Accepted

#14 — Reconsider cuts to women and girls-specific programming and consider ringfencing funding.

International Development Committee

Recommendation: In the light of these impact assessments, the Government must reconsider the cuts to women and girls-specific programming announced by the Minister and should consider ringfencing funding for this programming. (Recommendation, Paragraph 80)

Gov response: Disagree Decisions on the FCDO’s 2025/26 ODA programme allocations have been made. As confirmed by the Equalities Impact Assessment (EIA), the allocations process for 2025/26 has protected against disproportionate impacts on women and girls and …

Not Accepted

#11 — Funding cuts to gender-specific programming devastate women and girls, denying vital support.

International Development Committee

Recommendation: Funding cuts to gender-specific programming will be devastating for women and girls, starving them of vital support and services. The Government has not learned lessons from the previous Government about the severe impacts of funding cuts to programming for women …

Gov response: 55. We recognise the importance of strengthening the private sector in fragile and conflict-affected states (FCAS) and we welcome the Committee’s recognition of the role British International Investment (BII) in these contexts. 56. BII has …

Under Consideration

#18 — Ringfence government money for primary prevention in future Spending Reviews

Home Affairs Committee

Recommendation: We recommend that the Government ringfences money to invest in primary prevention in future Spending Reviews, based on the evidence produced by commissioned research. (Recommendation, Paragraph 47) 25

Gov response: Spending Reviews are led and designed by HMT. As set out earlier, ringfences are an important tool in supporting specific policy priorities. However, the use of ringfences must be balanced against the need for departments …

Not Addressed

#17 — Insufficient additional funding for primary prevention will prevent meeting VAWG halving target

Home Affairs Committee

Recommendation: If there is not additional funding to invest in primary prevention the Government will not meet its target to halve VAWG in a decade. If the Government is to have a chance of meeting its target, it needs to be …

Gov response: Spending Reviews are led and designed by HMT. As set out earlier, ringfences are an important tool in supporting specific policy priorities. However, the use of ringfences must be balanced against the need for departments …

Not Addressed

#16 — Partner with universities and third sector to fund research into VAWG prevention effectiveness

Home Affairs Committee

Recommendation: We recommend that the Government partners with universities and the third sector to fund and promote research into the effectiveness of different prevention measures, including research into primary prevention. The Government should inform the Committee of its proposals for acting …

Gov response: Prevention and an understanding of what works to support victims are fundamental to our approach to halve VAWG in a decade. The VAWG strategy and the accompanying Theory of Change are being developed using the …

Partially Accepted

#15 — Increase funding for VAWG prevention programmes to meet the halving target

Home Affairs Committee

Recommendation: In the long term, funding for prevention is vital if the Government’s target of halving VAWG in a decade has a chance of being met. Currently there is insufficient funding of prevention programmes, in part because of the difficulties in …

Gov response: Prevention and an understanding of what works to support victims are fundamental to our approach to halve VAWG in a decade. The VAWG strategy and the accompanying Theory of Change are being developed using the …

Not Addressed

#14 — Establish a national ringfenced funding pot for 'by and for' services with standardised bidding

Home Affairs Committee

Recommendation: We recommend the establishment of a national ringfenced pot of money for ‘by and for’ services. This pot should be designed so ‘by and for’ services apply for funding using a standardised bidding process to minimise the administrative burden. (Recommendation, …

Gov response: Ringfences are an important tool in supporting specific policy priorities. However, the use of ringfences must be balanced against the need for departments to retain sufficient flexibility to allocate funding within their settlements and respond …

Not Addressed

#13 — Certainty of funding for 'by and for' services is essential for their unique benefits

Home Affairs Committee

Recommendation: There needs to be certainty of funding for ‘by and for’ services. These services deliver significant positive benefits for their users, which they would not be able to access elsewhere. (Conclusion, Paragraph 36)

Gov response: Ringfences are an important tool in supporting specific policy priorities. However, the use of ringfences must be balanced against the need for departments to retain sufficient flexibility to allocate funding within their settlements and respond …

Not Addressed

#12 — Establish longer-term funding (three to five years) as the norm for all VAWG services

Home Affairs Committee

Recommendation: We recommend that longer term funding for VAWG services, for three to five years, should be the norm, unless there are extenuating circumstances. This should be accompanied by an evaluation of the effectiveness of long-term funding. (Recommendation, Paragraph 30)

Gov response: We acknowledge the difficulties providers encounter when given short-term funding. Where possible, our aim is to provide longer-term grant agreements to improve certainty and enable recipients to plan. Following the Chancellor’s announcement on 11th June, …

Not Addressed

#11 — Short-term funding severely limits the impact of crucial VAWG services

Home Affairs Committee

Recommendation: Short-term funding can severely limit the impact of VAWG services. We welcome the steps that the Minister has taken so far to improve the decision making process, and the consequent considerable reduction in the underspend, but there is scope to …

Gov response: We acknowledge the difficulties providers encounter when given short-term funding. Where possible, our aim is to provide longer-term grant agreements to improve certainty and enable recipients to plan. Following the Chancellor’s announcement on 11th June, …

Not Addressed

#10 — Re-assess value for money criteria for VAWG funding, weighting towards qualitative data for impact

Home Affairs Committee

Recommendation: We recommend that the Government re-assesses the value for money criteria for VAWG funding awarded to local authorities. They should be weighted towards qualitative data to ensure that the impact on people’s lives is a more significant factor than cost. …

Gov response: The responsibility of assessing value for money criteria rests with individual government departments, each of which is accountable for funding and supporting delivery in their respective policy areas where local authorities have a role. The …

Not Addressed

#9 — Current value for money criteria for VAWG funding require urgent reassessment

Home Affairs Committee

Recommendation: We are concerned that current value for money criteria are skewing funding decisions in favour of larger providers who are better able to meet existing value for money assessments. There needs to be a reassessment of value for money criteria …

Gov response: Spending Reviews are led and designed by HMT. As set out earlier, ringfences are an important tool in supporting specific policy priorities. However, the use of ringfences must be balanced against the need for departments …

Under Consideration

#7 — Government's assessment of VAWG interventions lacks clarity on service effectiveness

Home Affairs Committee

Recommendation: We are unclear how the Government is assessing the interventions that are shown to work, as we do not see a link between the data required and the effectiveness of a service. This gives us little confidence that funding is …

Gov response: Ringfences are an important tool in supporting specific policy priorities. However, the use of ringfences must be balanced against the need for departments to retain sufficient flexibility to allocate funding within their settlements and respond …

Accepted

#6 — Conduct local VAWG funding mapping and publish cross-government mapping with annual updates

Home Affairs Committee

Recommendation: We recommend that local authorities, police and crime commissioners and mayors conduct mapping exercises to identify where they allocate funding to tackle VAWG. We recommend that the Government publish alongside the VAWG strategy its cross-government mapping of where funding to …

Gov response: We acknowledge the difficulties providers encounter when given short- term funding. Where possible, our aim is to provide longer-term grant agreements to improve certainty and enable recipients to plan. Following the Chancellor’s announcement on 11th …

Under Consideration

#5 — Mandate annual mapping and update of central and local VAWG funding

Home Affairs Committee

Recommendation: Mapping of where central and local government are spending money to tackle VAWG should lead to reduced duplication of services as well as fewer gaps in the services funded. Each local authority should annually map, and update, their funding provision …

Gov response: The responsibility of assessing value for money criteria rests with individual government departments, each of which is accountable for funding and supporting delivery in their respective policy areas where local authorities have a role. The …

Under Consideration

#12 —

International Development Committee

Recommendation: Gender-based violence has increased during the pandemic, with the risk especially acute for groups such as adolescents, migrants, refugees and displaced people. At the same time, access to support services has become more difficult. Therefore, it is disappointing that a …

Gov response: We are proud that the UK is recognised as a global leader in tackling gender-based violence, including pioneering approaches through our What Works to Prevent Violence programme that have shown reductions in violence of around …

Under Consideration

#22 — Widespread sexual harassment and abuse persists in the music industry with high non-reporting.

Women and Equalities Committee

Recommendation: Sexual harassment and abuse in the music industry remains widespread. Aggressors act with impunity while victims who report actions against them very often face further harm by doing so. It is disappointing but not surprising, that non-reporting is high. Organisations …

Gov response: The Equality Act 2010 provides legal protections against sexual harassment in the workplace. In response to the Women and Equalities Select Committee’s fifth report of session 2017–19, the Government held a public consultation and public …

Accepted

#19 — Condition public funding and licensing of music venues on tackling sexual harassment and abuse.

Women and Equalities Committee

Recommendation: Public funding and licensing of music venues should be made conditional on those premises taking steps to tackle gender bias, sexual harassment and abuse. This should include the training of venue staff by accredited organisations that work in the sector. …

Gov response: Ensuring the safety of performers, staff and attendees at live music events is paramount. It is a legal requirement that all music venue employees must undergo mandatory health and safety training. However, it is up …

Not Accepted

#16 — Government weakening of Worker Protection Act leaves vulnerable women exposed to sexual harassment.

Women and Equalities Committee

Recommendation: The Government’s weakening of the Worker Protection Act 2023 has let down women already vulnerable to sexual abuse and harassment in insecure work settings. While we welcome the duty on employers to take ‘reasonable steps’ to protect their employees from …

Gov response: The Equality Act 2010 provides legal protections against sexual harassment in the workplace. In response to the Women and Equalities Select Committee’s fifth report of session 2017–19, the Government held a public consultation and public …

Not Accepted

#20 —

Public Accounts Committee

Recommendation: Several organisations wrote to us to describe the trauma and impact on victims having to wait longer for their cases to be heard.37 In the evidence session, the Department set out some of the actions it is taking to better …

Gov response: 6.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: Summer 2023 6.2 The first local criminal justice system scorecards for all crime and adult rape were published in March 2022, bringing together data …

Not Addressed

#20 —

Public Accounts Committee

Recommendation: We asked the Department how it ensured that its approach to monitoring child maintenance cases was properly identifying and addressing cases of domestic abuse and coercive control, rather than waiting to be alerted through non-payment or through the receiving parent …

Gov response: 3. PAC recommendation: The Department should, as part of its Treasury Minute response, outline how it will identify cases which potentially involve domestic abuse or coercive control and adapt its services and communications in response. …

Accepted

#19 —

Public Accounts Committee

Recommendation: Parents can use the child maintenance system to continue to abuse their former partners, for example by withholding payments or access to children. Written evidence from Gingerbread and the Domestic Abuse Commissioner set out that, for survivors of domestic abuse, …

Gov response: 3. PAC recommendation: The Department should, as part of its Treasury Minute response, outline how it will identify cases which potentially involve domestic abuse or coercive control and adapt its services and communications in response. …

Accepted

#34 —

Women and Equalities Committee

Recommendation: The Government must develop and introduce a new strategy in schools, aimed specifically at boys on issues of misogyny, sexual harassment and gender-based violence. (Recommendation, Paragraph 145) 65

Gov response: The Department for Education is reviewing the statutory Relationships, Sex and Health Education guidance and will publish an updated version for consultation shortly. A final version will be published once all responses received have been …

Partially Accepted

#27 — Require CIISA to publish annual report detailing music industry discrimination, harassment, and diversity.

Women and Equalities Committee

Recommendation: CIISA has committed to producing an annual report. That report should include an overview on the state of the music industry with respect to levels of discrimination, harassment and abuse and diversity. Reported data should be broken down by protected …

Gov response: We are committed to supporting the music industry and the wider creative industries with insight reporting that identifies systemic trends and themes alongside what learning can be taken and used to continuously strengthen the workplace …

Accepted

#23 — Inadequate awareness and reporting pathways for inappropriate behaviour in the music industry.

Women and Equalities Committee

Recommendation: Awareness of what constitutes inappropriate behaviour and discrimination needs to be improved and reporting pathways made clear. A reporting structure needs to be available to everyone working in the industry, not just those who have access to HR departments, which …

Gov response: The Equality and Human Rights Commission’s technical guidance on Sexual harassment and harassment at work includes guidance on expectations of employers regarding third party harassment3. The Commission does have powers to investigate if it chooses …

Accepted

#20 — Integrate survivor-led training on sexual harassment into Security Industry Authority accreditation for venue staff.

Women and Equalities Committee

Recommendation: Security Industry Authority accreditation for security staff to work at live music venues should include training on dealing with discrimination, sexual harassment and abuse. That training should be survivor-led and provided by accredited organisations dedicated to improving safety for women. …

Gov response: The private security industry plays a key role in public protection, and this includes the protection of women and girls in live music venues and the wider night-time economy. The Security Industry Authority sets training …

Accepted

#17 — Broaden Equality Act to impose proactive duty on employers protecting workers from third-party sexual harassment.

Women and Equalities Committee

Recommendation: The Equality Act 2010 should be broadened to impose a duty on employers to be proactive, rather than simply reactive, in protecting workers from third party sexual harassment and for a statutory code of practice to support them in doing …

Gov response: The Equality Act 2010 provides legal protections against sexual harassment in the workplace. In response to the Women and Equalities Select Committee’s fifth report of session 2017–19, the Government held a public consultation and public …

Partially Accepted

#15 — License all commercial recording studios, including sexual harassment risk assessments and clear reporting pathways.

Women and Equalities Committee

Recommendation: A recording studio should be a safe space for all those who work there. Frequently this is not the case, and commercial self-interest is prioritised over personal safety. We recommend that all commercial recording studios should be licensed. That licensing …

Gov response: The Government agrees that recording studios should provide a safe environment for all who work in them. There are no plans at the present time to introduce new licensing requirements for commercial recording studios. The …

Not Accepted

#8 — Establish a cross-government audit to identify necessary data for evaluation and consistent reporting metrics

Home Affairs Committee

Recommendation: We recommend that the Home Office establishes, as soon as practicable, a cross-government audit to identify which data it is necessary to collect for evaluation purposes. The findings of this audit should be used to establish more consistent reporting metrics …

Gov response: Prevention and an understanding of what works to support victims are fundamental to our approach to halve VAWG in a decade. The VAWG strategy and the accompanying Theory of Change are being developed using the …

Under Consideration

#20 —

International Development Committee

Recommendation: We are appalled by the distressing reports of human rights abuses, gender-based violence and sexual violence in Tigray. The horrors that have been inflicted on people and their suffering during this conflict are unimaginable, and we are particularly saddened that, …

Gov response: The Foreign Secretary, Minister for Africa and our Ambassador in Addis continue to raise human rights issues in their discussions with the Ethiopian government. We have been clear that civilians must be protected and the …

Not Addressed

#18 —

Public Accounts Committee

Recommendation: The Department designed the current child maintenance system to emphasise collaboration between parents, with the CMS available as a voluntary safety net for those separated parents to choose to use if they decide to.31 Written evidence from the Domestic Abuse …

Gov response: 3. PAC recommendation: The Department should, as part of its Treasury Minute response, outline how it will identify cases which potentially involve domestic abuse or coercive control and adapt its services and communications in response. …

Accepted

#1 —

Women and Equalities Committee

Recommendation: The current law applicable to cohabitants on relationship breakdown can be costly, complicated and unfair. Complex property law and trusts principles often require the financially weaker partner—often women—to demonstrate direct financial contributions to the acquisition of the family home, while …

Gov response: We partially accept this recommendation. The Government agrees that it is important that people are aware of the legal distinctions between getting married, forming a civil partnership and living together as cohabitants. The Government further …

Partially Accepted

#3 —

Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee

Recommendation: It is egregious that organisations with no expertise are able to target survivors of domestic abuse and their children and provide neither specialist support nor an appropriate or safe environment. Where a prospective resident of exempt accommodation is a survivor …

Gov response: 16. It is indeed egregious that organisations with no expertise can target survivors of domestic abuse. That is why we introduced fully funded duties on local authorities within the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 for the …

Under Consideration

#30 —

Women and Equalities Committee

Recommendation: The Government should urgently bring forward legislative proposals to prohibit the use of non-disclosure and other forms of confidentiality agreements in cases involving (a) sexual abuse, sexual harassment or sexual misconduct; (b) bullying or harassment not falling within (a) and …

Gov response: We strongly support this recommendation. NDAs should never be misused to silence victims, cover up harmful behaviours, and allow perpetrators to continue to abuse others.

Accepted

#26 — Task CIISA to educate the music industry and provide training on sexual harassment and gender bias.

Women and Equalities Committee

Recommendation: The establishment of CIISA is an opportunity to educate the music industry on the rights of self-employed workers and the responsibilities of those hiring them. It can become a hub of expertise. Earlier in this report we set out how …

Gov response: We will look to set standards and provide training on how the music industry and the wider creative industries should approach tackling and preventing sexual harassment and sexual violence, alongside approaches to tackle misogyny and …

Accepted

#24 — Support the creation of CIISA and ensure robust safeguarding and legal advice for reporters.

Women and Equalities Committee

Recommendation: We support the creation of the Creative Industries Independent Standards Authority (CIISA). It will help to shine a light on unacceptable behaviour in the music industry and in doing so, may reduce the risk of further harm. Crucially, it will …

Gov response: The legal profession in England and Wales is independent of the Government, and solicitors in England and Wales are regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. The Solicitors Regulation Authority’s warning notice on the use of …

Not Addressed

#21 — Mandate adequate, separate dressing room facilities for women and gender nonconforming musicians in venues.

Women and Equalities Committee

Recommendation: Expecting women to change in front their male peers or in their car, or to share rooms or beds with male colleagues while on tour, is unacceptable and raises safety concerns. The music industry needs to improve its facilitation of …

Gov response: We support this recommendation, and this expectation will be reinforced in CIISA’s Standards to ensure that venues that host live music demonstrate their respect for colleagues who are performing by providing adequate, separate dressing room …

Accepted

#18 — Publish comprehensive guidance for employers and workers on preventing third-party sexual harassment.

Women and Equalities Committee

Recommendation: Guidance for employers and employees, including freelancers, on the new duty to protect from sexual harassment, should set out how employers should prevent and manage sexual harassment coming from third parties in the absence of legal protection, including how all …

Gov response: The Equality and Human Rights Commission’s technical guidance on Sexual harassment and harassment at work includes guidance on expectations of employers regarding third party harassment3. The Commission does have powers to investigate if it chooses …

Accepted

#13 — Mandate educational settings to ensure staff awareness of harassment policies and conduct background checks.

Women and Equalities Committee

Recommendation: The OfS should also require educational settings to ensure that all staff, permanent, temporary and those visiting, are aware of policies around abuse and harassment, including the consequences of inappropriate behaviour. People invited to teach students should undergo background and …

Gov response: The Department for Education welcomes the Committee’s recommendation. This is a matter for the Office for Students.

Not Addressed

#3 — Endemic discrimination and misogyny create significant barriers for women in the music industry, intensified by intersectionality.

Women and Equalities Committee

Recommendation: Women have significant additional barriers to pass to get a foothold in the music industry and must navigate acts of passive aggression, ridicule, and misogyny to have a sustainable career. Female artists are routinely undervalued and undermined, endure a focus …

Gov response: We fully support the conclusions given in the Misogyny in Music report. The distressing evidence given by women facing discrimination, harassment and abuse in the music industry clearly demonstrates more needs to be done not …

Not Addressed

#4 — Set out approval process for NI EVAWG strategy during Executive suspension

Northern Ireland Affairs Committee

Recommendation: We are concerned to hear about the gatekeeping of funding and other activity by paramilitary groups which has increasingly excluded women and the community and voluntary sector since the signing of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement. This has implications for the …

Gov response: The UK Government welcomes the restoration of the NI Executive. There is now an important opportunity for the Executive to deliver on its commitments to progress a Northern Ireland Strategy on Ending Violence Against Women …

Not Addressed

#14 — Government inaction on establishing effective specialist police rape teams is disappointing.

Home Affairs Committee

Recommendation: We are disappointed that, despite the difference that specialist police rape teams make, the Government has not done more to ensure such teams are in place.

Gov response: As recognised by the CPS in its response to the joint HMICFRS and HMCPSI inspection into the police’s and CPS’s response to rape, the way prosecutors communicate with victims and the way in which partners …

Under Consideration

#19 —

Public Accounts Committee

Recommendation: The Department explained how the longer victims wait for their case to be heard in court, the greater the risk the victim withdraws their support of the process and the case collapses.34 It told us that the proportion of cases …

Gov response: 6.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: Summer 2023 6.2 The first local criminal justice system scorecards for all crime and adult rape were published in March 2022, bringing together data …

Accepted

#18 —

Public Accounts Committee

Recommendation: The Department explained that victims of rape and serious sexual offences had been particularly affected by the pandemic. These difficult and complex cases are more likely to need a jury trial, which need space to accommodate the jury. It was …

Gov response: 2.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: Summer 2024 2.2 Since publishing the End-to-End Rape Review Report on Findings and Actions in June 2021, the government has made significant progress in …

Not Addressed

#2 —

Public Accounts Committee

Recommendation: Victims of rape and serious sexual offences are facing unacceptable delays to justice that compound and extend their suffering and lead to too many cases collapsing. The number of such cases waiting longer than a year has increased by more …

Gov response: 2.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: Summer 2024 2.2 Since publishing the End-to-End Rape Review Report on Findings and Actions in June 2021, the government has made significant progress in …

Not Addressed

#4 —

Work and Pensions Committee

Recommendation: We recommend the Government ensures the Support for Migrant Victims Scheme is evaluated swiftly and consequential policy decisions are made quickly. The pilot must be fully rolled out or alternative measures put in place immediately to ensure that survivors of …

Gov response: The Government is committed to supporting all victims of domestic abuse. Anyone who has suffered domestic abuse must be treated as a victim first and foremost, regardless of immigration status. Support is already provided to …

Partially Accepted

#3 —

Work and Pensions Committee

Recommendation: We heard worrying evidence about the impact of the NRPF condition on survivors of domestic violence, including children. We are pleased that the Government has launched the Support for Migrant Victims Scheme pilot, in addition to the support offered through …

Gov response: The Government is committed to supporting all victims of domestic abuse. Anyone who has suffered domestic abuse must be treated as a victim first and foremost, regardless of immigration status. Support is already provided to …

Under Consideration