The Domestic Abuse Bill has fallen because of the proroguing of Parliament. The Home Office has refused to say whether it will resurrect it in the Queens Speech. The following is the Government’s own summary of its provisions. It will be heartbreaking if all this is lost. Reading through the list I’m shocked that some of it is not already enacted,
“The Domestic Abuse Bill will:
define domestic abuse in law to underpin other measures in the bill
establish a Domestic Abuse Commissioner, to stand up for victims and survivors, raise public awareness, monitor the response of local authorities, the justice system and other statutory agencies and hold them to account in tackling domestic abuse
provide for a new Domestic Abuse Protection Notice and Domestic Abuse Protection Order
create a new domestic abuse offence in Northern Ireland to criminalise controlling or coercive behaviour
prohibit perpetrators of abuse from cross-examining their victims in person in the family courts
create a statutory presumption that victims of domestic abuse are eligible for special measures in the criminal courts (for example, to enable them to give evidence via a video link)
enable domestic abuse offenders to be subject to polygraph testing as a condition of their licence following their release from custody
place the guidance supporting the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme (“Clare’s law”) on a statutory footing
ensure that where a local authority, for reasons connected with domestic abuse, grants a new secure tenancy to a social tenant who had or has a secure lifetime or assured tenancy (other than an assured shorthold tenancy) this must be a secure lifetime tenancy
extend the extraterritorial jurisdiction of the criminal courts in England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland to further violent and sexual offences*
Six foot two, eyes of blue. kg v lb. cm v ft + ins
