08/12/2016

:00:00. > :00:00.own priorities. I will refer his question to the controller and

:00:00. > :00:08.auditor General, asking him to write to the gentleman with the

:00:09. > :00:13.information he is seeking. There are various points of order. I will take

:00:14. > :00:20.first those of which I have had notice. Point of order from Mr

:00:21. > :00:25.Andrew Salter. On Tuesday, the Transport Secretary was asked five

:00:26. > :00:31.times while he has not devolved real services to the Mayor of Manchester.

:00:32. > :00:35.He he was told each time they were commercial and operational reasons

:00:36. > :00:43.were not doing so. He later emerged that gave the actual reason, that he

:00:44. > :00:48.would like, to keep suburban real services out of the clutches of any

:00:49. > :00:52.future Labour mayor. Members should be able to rely on the answer is

:00:53. > :00:56.that this dispatch box to be as accurate as possible. What steps can

:00:57. > :01:07.I take to get the Minister to correct the record to reflect his

:01:08. > :01:12.actual reason? I am that I am grateful for the advance notice.

:01:13. > :01:16.First, every member of this house is responsible for the veracity of what

:01:17. > :01:21.he or she says in it and it is incumbent upon a member on the

:01:22. > :01:27.discovery of a mistake, to correct it. That applies to ministers and

:01:28. > :01:31.everybody else. Secondly, he will understand why I don't wish to delve

:01:32. > :01:38.into the detail of the matter, and I certainly don't seek to adjudicate

:01:39. > :01:45.between him making an accusation and any minister who might seek to

:01:46. > :01:52.defend him or herself against it. And all I would say is that perhaps

:01:53. > :01:56.what he has said about a political motivation and what the Minister has

:01:57. > :02:09.said, are not necessarily mutually exclusive. My point of order is not

:02:10. > :02:14.too dissimilar to the previous point of order, in that mine relates to

:02:15. > :02:18.the response that was given by the Department for Transport to the

:02:19. > :02:23.urgent question put down by the member for Brighton Pavilion in

:02:24. > :02:29.respect of Southern Rail on Monday. Myself and the honourable members

:02:30. > :02:36.for Dulwich in West Norwood, we asked of the Minister whether the

:02:37. > :02:42.government's intention was still to devolve rail commuter services to

:02:43. > :02:49.Transport For London. We were not given any answer to that, however,

:02:50. > :02:54.as he has just said, the Secretary of State for Transport has clearly

:02:55. > :02:59.made his mind up on that, on the basis of party political reasons,

:03:00. > :03:03.and secondly, having provided no answer, we then found it in the

:03:04. > :03:08.Evening Standard the day after. Mr Speaker, I know you place a premium

:03:09. > :03:11.on ministers coming and giving information to this house when

:03:12. > :03:17.questions are asked, not providing it in the newspapers after. And I am

:03:18. > :03:24.utterly exasperated at this, because my constituents will take great

:03:25. > :03:29.exception to ministers playing party politics with the misery they are

:03:30. > :03:34.facing day in, day out. I would be very grateful for your guidance on

:03:35. > :03:39.how we can ensure that ministers did the right information to this house

:03:40. > :03:44.and do not fail to give us the information that we require. I am

:03:45. > :03:49.grateful to the honourable gentleman for that point of order. Of course,

:03:50. > :03:53.I remember well the exchanges to which he referred having taken place

:03:54. > :04:00.only three days ago. Buy off the cuff response to him is twofold.

:04:01. > :04:07.First, the absence of comprehensive answers to questions posed under

:04:08. > :04:11.governments of a variety of complexions, is not without

:04:12. > :04:20.precedent. Secondly, it is very difficult to know, and it's not for

:04:21. > :04:25.the speaker to judge at what point a government has decided on a policy

:04:26. > :04:33.and then decided to communicate it, however, it does seem a bit strange

:04:34. > :04:37.if something is not communicated in the house in response to a specific

:04:38. > :04:46.question, that is then communicated to the media a very, very short time

:04:47. > :04:54.afterwards. It is not for me to judge in each case, but I really do

:04:55. > :04:58.think that if ministers wish to advert the potentially embarrassing

:04:59. > :05:02.scenario of another urgent question on the same matter being tabled,

:05:03. > :05:08.with the possibility that the minister might have to come to

:05:09. > :05:13.answer a second time, it would be wise for ministers to factor that

:05:14. > :05:18.consideration into their calculations of how to conduct

:05:19. > :05:24.themselves. I think that that is the fairest way I can deal with that.

:05:25. > :05:28.But the honourable gentleman was applicants for the question or a

:05:29. > :05:32.core applicant the other day and his constituency is directly affected,

:05:33. > :05:36.so of course, I will hear the right Honourable gentleman. He will be

:05:37. > :05:42.aware of my constituents are suffering chaotic services on

:05:43. > :05:46.Southern, and they were seeking the salvation in Transport For London

:05:47. > :05:48.taking responsibility for those services. And they were seeking the

:05:49. > :05:51.salvation in Transport For London take the responsibility for those

:05:52. > :05:55.services. Can you advise me if there is any way in which I can secure a

:05:56. > :05:59.transport outcome for my constituents that is based on the

:06:00. > :06:10.best policy, as opposed to a political priority for the

:06:11. > :06:14.government? I'm not sure, notwithstanding his investing me

:06:15. > :06:18.with great powers in these matters, but I am best pleased to advise him,

:06:19. > :06:23.but there is a former deputy leader of the house and he will be well

:06:24. > :06:27.aware of the upcoming matters to be raised on the adjournments, to which

:06:28. > :06:32.you may wish to contribute, although he may be perturbed by the absence

:06:33. > :06:38.of the responsible departmental minister to give him a substantive

:06:39. > :06:43.reply. If what he wants is to substantively raise the issue and

:06:44. > :06:47.obtain a reply, his own adjournment debate might be his best salvation.

:06:48. > :06:52.I have a hunch that the honourable gentleman will shortly be vetoing

:06:53. > :06:57.across to the table office to make such an application, and he might

:06:58. > :07:07.find that his application is successful. Point of order! The

:07:08. > :07:16.honourable lady did give me advance notice, so let's leave it. Thank

:07:17. > :07:20.you. You have ruled that it is courtesy of the house that members

:07:21. > :07:29.should warn one another when visiting their constituencies. I was

:07:30. > :07:33.warned that a minister was visiting my constituency, I discovered this

:07:34. > :07:37.by reading an article local newspaper. I read that with his

:07:38. > :07:42.office and they told me they did not have this obligation as applying to

:07:43. > :07:45.ministers. This was particularly disappointing, given the serious

:07:46. > :07:49.issues I have often raised within the specific area he was visiting

:07:50. > :07:54.about and I would have welcomed the opportunity to discuss that with

:07:55. > :07:59.them during his visit. I don't need to refer you to paragraph 10.9 of

:08:00. > :08:05.the ministerial code, but could you clarify that this convention does

:08:06. > :08:09.indeed apply to ministers and what advice he may offer the minister

:08:10. > :08:12.when that code is broken, and whether any further training or

:08:13. > :08:17.guidance might be given to ministers regarding obligations of this house?

:08:18. > :08:23.I am grateful for the point of order and I think I can offer her some

:08:24. > :08:27.comfort in the matter. The short answer is the obligation certainly

:08:28. > :08:40.does apply to ministers and I am frankly staggered to heed it

:08:41. > :08:44.suggested. I thought it was very well-known in the house. But let me

:08:45. > :08:48.just give the substantive reply. It is a long-standing convention that

:08:49. > :08:54.members should notify each other before visiting others

:08:55. > :08:58.constituencies in a public capacity. Obviously, if one member is going to

:08:59. > :09:03.another's for a private dinner party, the obligation doesn't apply,

:09:04. > :09:08.we are talking about the conduct of public business. And the requirement

:09:09. > :09:16.for ministers is enshrined in the ministerial code. Ministers really

:09:17. > :09:21.ought to be familiar with and ready to adhere to the ministerial called.

:09:22. > :09:26.I agree it is the most unsatisfactory situation when notice

:09:27. > :09:29.is not given, and I would urge members on all sides are ministers

:09:30. > :09:34.in particular to observe that courtesy. The point is being made

:09:35. > :09:38.and I know the leader of the house, who is extremely assiduous and

:09:39. > :09:43.highly respected in the space for his courtesy, and I can see this for

:09:44. > :09:46.some knowledge, because he has been my constituency neighbour for

:09:47. > :09:50.decades, he takes this very seriously and he will do all they

:09:51. > :09:51.can to make sure other members will behave with the courtesy he

:09:52. > :10:07.customarily exhibits. The overwhelming custom and practice

:10:08. > :10:11.and precedent is that when bills passed second reading as the

:10:12. > :10:18.boundary division Bill did, they should go to committee without undue

:10:19. > :10:23.delay. The Leader of the House today expanded on his excuses for this not

:10:24. > :10:27.happening, reasons he did not give two weeks ago, but every single one

:10:28. > :10:33.of us knows this is nothing more than political chicanery. Yesterday

:10:34. > :10:37.the Leader of the House which the House of the Prime Minister, today

:10:38. > :10:40.he is reaching the depths of not fulfilling the proper

:10:41. > :10:46.responsibilities of the Leader of the House. How can we persuade him

:10:47. > :10:50.to mend his ways? The Leader of the House is entitled to respond if he

:10:51. > :10:58.wishes. If he does not wish to do so, it is very much the norm that

:10:59. > :11:05.the government should come forward with the appropriate resolution. It

:11:06. > :11:12.is not strictly a matter for the chair if that does not happen, but

:11:13. > :11:16.knowing the right honourable gentleman as I do, how familiar he

:11:17. > :11:20.is with this long-standing requirement, knowing the tendency of

:11:21. > :11:25.the Right honourable gentleman only to ask a question only when he knows

:11:26. > :11:33.the answer to it, I think any member of the government is taking some

:11:34. > :11:38.risk in persisting to do what, persisting in failing to do what is

:11:39. > :11:42.expected, and I sense that the right honourable gentleman, to put it

:11:43. > :11:49.bluntly, will keep banging on about the matter until he gets what he

:11:50. > :11:53.wants. Mr Stuart Malcolm MacDonald. Two brief points. I think the Leader

:11:54. > :11:57.of the House perhaps inadvertently misled the House in response to

:11:58. > :12:01.questions from honourable friends regarding job centre closures in

:12:02. > :12:05.Glasgow. He stated these plans would be subject to full consultation.

:12:06. > :12:10.They will not be. The government only plans to consult on two of

:12:11. > :12:16.eight closures across the city, which I cannot stress enough to the

:12:17. > :12:20.House how devastating this news is. On the second point, I wonder if you

:12:21. > :12:25.could advise what myself and other honourable friends who represent

:12:26. > :12:32.Glasgow constituencies, what recourse is open to us to put right

:12:33. > :12:36.the disco city, -- discourtesy, which was shown to us. We had to

:12:37. > :12:40.read about these closures in the press and it took ministers over

:12:41. > :12:44.seven hours to get in touch with us about this. We consider that to be

:12:45. > :12:50.grossly disrespectful and I wonder if you could advise whether there is

:12:51. > :12:54.any recourse open to us. To some extent, the honourable gentleman has

:12:55. > :13:00.gained his own salvation in airing his discontent on the floor of the

:13:01. > :13:05.House with the relevant Minister not in a position immediately to reply

:13:06. > :13:09.so the honourable gentleman is able to establish some tracks on the

:13:10. > :13:13.ground which are to his advantage. I was not familiar with that point of

:13:14. > :13:17.detail which has just been highlighted for rest is about two

:13:18. > :13:20.matters being the subject of consultation rather than the full

:13:21. > :13:27.eight. That really is not a matter for me. But what I would say to the

:13:28. > :13:32.honourable gentleman is that it is normal in matters of this kind that

:13:33. > :13:36.affect constituencies for members affected to be given the courtesy of

:13:37. > :13:42.advanced notification rather than having to read about the matters in

:13:43. > :13:50.the newspapers. It may well be that some rather greater discipline

:13:51. > :13:55.within ministerial offices is required to avoid a repetition of

:13:56. > :14:03.that rather unfortunate occurrence. Further to that point of order.

:14:04. > :14:07.Thank you. In relation to the decision about job centre closures

:14:08. > :14:10.in Glasgow, my understanding is that there is ministerial criteria which

:14:11. > :14:19.determines whether it goes to public consultation or not. It is the view

:14:20. > :14:23.of me and my honourable friend that four of the aid should be going to

:14:24. > :14:33.public consultation. Is there any recourse for rest to raise that with

:14:34. > :14:37.ministers? I have to confess that I suffer from some ignorance on that

:14:38. > :14:42.matter. It is an enormously important point but not one I have

:14:43. > :14:49.any knowledge at all of. When you ask whether there is any recourse,

:14:50. > :14:55.the answer is yes. You should table a written question, narrowly focused

:14:56. > :15:02.on that matter, to try to set -- extract a substantive answer. Mr

:15:03. > :15:06.Alan Brown. This is a point of order about answers I have received from

:15:07. > :15:22.the Secretary of State for Scotland. I asked a question in the chamber.

:15:23. > :15:30.asked him about heat he had done anything about a previous pledge.

:15:31. > :15:33.The answer I got was, the honourable gentleman knows that I and the UK

:15:34. > :15:38.Government have worked with the council to see if opencast can

:15:39. > :15:41.continue in that area. Now, not because I am cynical but because I

:15:42. > :15:47.wanted to give credit where credit is due, I submitted three questions

:15:48. > :15:52.asking how much money the UK Government is spending on opencast

:15:53. > :15:55.restoration, what action they have taken and how many meetings the

:15:56. > :15:59.Secretary of State had had with the Chancellor. I had a simple group

:16:00. > :16:07.answer which did not give any figures or information at all. It

:16:08. > :16:21.says about informal meetings with colleagues, about agreeing a way

:16:22. > :16:29.forward, and he also advises that the call authority provides advice.

:16:30. > :16:32.I will try to be brief. I submitted a follow up question trying to pin

:16:33. > :16:43.down answers about funding. What funding has been provided. I am

:16:44. > :16:47.quite indescribably grateful to the honourable gentleman for raising

:16:48. > :16:50.these matters. No one can accuse the honourable member for excluding from

:16:51. > :16:57.his point of order any point which he thinks might be in any way, at

:16:58. > :17:01.any time, anywhere, be judged to be material. There is a comprehensively

:17:02. > :17:08.about his approach which is as impressive as it is infuriating.

:17:09. > :17:12.What I want to say to the honourable gentleman is, first of all, I don't

:17:13. > :17:16.think I have ever said this before but the sense in which I share the

:17:17. > :17:22.honourable gentleman's pain but there are very few new precedents in

:17:23. > :17:25.this place. He says with open eyed astonishment that he put down

:17:26. > :17:30.several questions which were treated as a job lot by the Minister. I very

:17:31. > :17:34.much doubt his experience is very much worse than mine, long before I

:17:35. > :17:39.had the privilege to occupy the chair, I think I tabled 60 questions

:17:40. > :17:45.to the Minister for Europe who had the extreme temerity to provide me a

:17:46. > :17:49.dismissive one with the reply to all 60. I simply return to the drawing

:17:50. > :17:53.board and came up with these further series of questions on the basis

:17:54. > :17:56.that I could therefore occupy the Minister's attention in the way that

:17:57. > :18:00.he would be doing less damage responding to me than he might be

:18:01. > :18:04.doing in other ways. The content of ministerial answers is the

:18:05. > :18:08.responsibility of the Minister concerned. If the minister felt with

:18:09. > :18:12.hindsight that an answer had been inaccurate, it would be open to him

:18:13. > :18:15.or her to correct the record. I realise he finds the answer is

:18:16. > :18:33.unsatisfactory but I'm afraid that is not a point of order for the

:18:34. > :18:38.chair. He asks how he can get decent answers out of ministers, that is a

:18:39. > :18:40.question that has taxed many of us, myself included, over the years, but

:18:41. > :18:43.the best approach is to use persistence and ingenuity, both of

:18:44. > :18:45.which I think he has demonstrated he possesses in abundance. I would

:18:46. > :18:48.suggest that he seeks the advice of the table office. One of the things

:18:49. > :18:51.I learned early is that the staff of the table office are there to help

:18:52. > :18:57.and if the honourable gentleman is told that his approach is not in

:18:58. > :19:01.order ought not the best approach, he should then proceed to ask the

:19:02. > :19:10.follow-up question, how can I best go about the matter? And the table

:19:11. > :19:14.office are both public spirited and experience and they will be able to

:19:15. > :19:20.help the honourable gentleman. His visit there will profit him. If

:19:21. > :19:25.there are no further points of order, we can now proceed to the

:19:26. > :19:29.next business, which is the backbench motion on the UN

:19:30. > :19:34.International Day for the elimination of violence against

:19:35. > :19:43.women. To move the motion, I call Seema Malhotra.

:19:44. > :19:46.Thank you, Mr Speaker. I am delighted to be able to move the

:19:47. > :19:52.motion today on the order paper that notes that this House notes the UN

:19:53. > :19:57.International Day for the elimination of violence against

:19:58. > :20:03.women and the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence. Also,

:20:04. > :20:06.that violence against women is a human rights violation and that much

:20:07. > :20:12.more needs to be done to address and prevent this scourge on our nation

:20:13. > :20:16.and across the world. I want to thank all honourable members who

:20:17. > :20:22.have supported this debate from all sides of this House, including the

:20:23. > :20:30.honourable members for Stretford and Urmston, for Maidstone and The

:20:31. > :20:36.Weald, Lanark and Hamilton East Brighton, Pavilion, Glasgow North,

:20:37. > :20:40.Rotherham, Birmingham, Yardley, Basingstoke, and indeed other

:20:41. > :20:46.members who I am sure will be speaking in the debate today. I also

:20:47. > :20:49.want to particularly recognise and express my thanks to the Right

:20:50. > :20:55.honourable member for Basingstoke, who is also chair of the woman

:20:56. > :21:00.inequalities Select Committee and whose support is also being debated

:21:01. > :21:04.today. I am proud that as a parliament we are debating this

:21:05. > :21:07.motion because it is vital that Parliament play its part on the

:21:08. > :21:15.world stage in combating violence against women in all its forms, at

:21:16. > :21:20.home and abroad. The UN declaration on the elimination of violence

:21:21. > :21:24.against women is describes it as any act of gender-based violence that

:21:25. > :21:29.results in or is likely to result in physical, sexual or psychological

:21:30. > :21:35.harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts,

:21:36. > :21:39.coercion or arbitrary deprivation. The 16 days of action have seen

:21:40. > :21:45.events and campaigns across the country and the world and these 16

:21:46. > :21:50.days end on the 10th of December. Human rights Day. This year also

:21:51. > :21:54.marks the 25th anniversary of the 16 days of action. Madam Deputy

:21:55. > :21:59.Speaker, tackling violence against women has to be a cross-party issue

:22:00. > :22:06.and the delivery of strategies has to be based on what works and go

:22:07. > :22:10.across Parliament. In 2009, the Labour government published the

:22:11. > :22:14.first violence against women and girls strategy, described as marking

:22:15. > :22:17.a major shift to joined up policy. The current government strategy

:22:18. > :22:22.continues that approach but the challenge we face now is how to

:22:23. > :22:28.ensure a complete strategy and how we turned that strategy into

:22:29. > :22:34.outcomes. May I also... I will give way. I just wonder whether she would

:22:35. > :22:38.agree with me that perhaps one of the best examples of cross-party

:22:39. > :22:41.approach is the support for the Istanbul convention and would she

:22:42. > :22:49.hoped that the government are going to fully adopt this? I thank the

:22:50. > :22:54.honourable member for his intervention and he leads me

:22:55. > :22:58.directly onto my next point, where I was about to congratulate the member

:22:59. > :23:06.for Bamford and Buchanan who today has also published the contents of

:23:07. > :23:12.her preventing and combating violence against women and domestic

:23:13. > :23:17.violence ratification of Convention Bill, which will have its second

:23:18. > :23:23.reading next week. The UK signed the convention in June 2012 but has not

:23:24. > :23:28.yet ratified it and this issue was the subject of a letter today to the

:23:29. > :23:33.Prime Minister, signed by over 75 Labour members of Parliament as

:23:34. > :23:39.well. If I could also take a moment to thank the campaign for their work

:23:40. > :23:43.on this issue and recognise the EDM signed by members across this has

:23:44. > :23:49.put down by the member for Paisley and Renfrewshire North. Madam Deputy

:23:50. > :23:53.Speaker, in opening this debate, I want to make three main points. The

:23:54. > :23:58.first is on the growing scale of the challenge at home and abroad, the

:23:59. > :24:02.second on our calls to the government to do more, particularly

:24:03. > :24:07.on prevention through relationship and sex education and ratifying the

:24:08. > :24:13.Istanbul convention, and thirdly, how we need a culture shift across

:24:14. > :24:17.society to include all, including businesses and public services, to

:24:18. > :24:19.lift the lid and engage all in the role they can play on eliminating

:24:20. > :24:36.violence against women and girls. Let me start with a comment on the

:24:37. > :24:41.scale of the problem. Violence against women and girls is rising

:24:42. > :24:46.worldwide. One in three women experience physical or sexual

:24:47. > :24:50.violence. That is a staggering statistic. The world health

:24:51. > :24:55.organisation argues that violence against women is a major public

:24:56. > :25:00.health issue. With women who have experienced violence more likely to

:25:01. > :25:05.have babies with low birth weights and experience depression. Each year

:25:06. > :25:09.in the UK, up to 3 million women experience violence and on average,

:25:10. > :25:16.one woman dies in Britain at the hands of a man every three days. We

:25:17. > :25:21.know also that around one in ten of domestic violence incidents have men

:25:22. > :25:27.as victims. Those numbers are significant, but still, the numbers

:25:28. > :25:33.show the scale and gendered nature of domestic and sexual violence. The

:25:34. > :25:40.cost to our economy is also estimated to be around ?25 billion.

:25:41. > :25:44.This scourge is present in every community across our nation.

:25:45. > :25:50.Domestic and sexual violence knows no boundaries, in terms of age,

:25:51. > :25:55.geography, ethnicity or social background. I want to share if you

:25:56. > :26:00.relatively recent examples from my constituency. A lady approached me

:26:01. > :26:02.recently who had suffered domestic violence for many years. She

:26:03. > :26:06.eventually found the courage to leave her husband, but was left

:26:07. > :26:13.unable to care for her children alone, who were then taken away. The

:26:14. > :26:25.abuse continued and she of her ex-husband and his family. She feels

:26:26. > :26:27.unsupported by the police and scrimped and saved to afford new

:26:28. > :26:30.door locks and security. Her future feels uncertain and she lives and

:26:31. > :26:33.nightmare every day. Another told me how it, six years after leaving her

:26:34. > :26:34.husband, who had an alcohol and drug addiction, he reappeared and

:26:35. > :26:40.threatened her and her elderly parents. The impact of domestic

:26:41. > :26:46.abuse is not just borne by female victims, but also by children. Save

:26:47. > :26:51.Lives estimates that 130,000 children live in homes where parents

:26:52. > :26:56.face serious harm or death at the hands of their partner or

:26:57. > :27:02.ex-partner. Those children can go on to replicate behaviour that they

:27:03. > :27:06.have seen. One mother recently told me of her expedience with her

:27:07. > :27:10.teenage son starting to behave as he had seen his father behaved. He was

:27:11. > :27:14.lucky enough to be able to respond to her challenging him, but she

:27:15. > :27:19.knows it isn't a story that is over for him, and is now seeking support

:27:20. > :27:24.for him as the trauma he experienced players out in his life as he

:27:25. > :27:28.reaches adult hood. The challenge we are facing in provision of child and

:27:29. > :28:04.adult mental health services are having an impact.

:28:05. > :28:12.It affects children's education. Not only does it affect their character,

:28:13. > :28:20.but if I was a child at school, I would be worrying about my mother

:28:21. > :28:29.and not my lessons. He has supported refugees and other services but have

:28:30. > :28:36.supported his constituents. I may just make reference now to the work

:28:37. > :28:40.by Refuge and Women's Aid in challenging the cuts to support for

:28:41. > :28:45.women and their families. And the horror of knowing as well but we

:28:46. > :28:50.have seen an increase over recent years in women being turned away

:28:51. > :28:57.from support because of lack of provision. He also has mentioned

:28:58. > :29:02.schools and education attainment. Certainly, I would extend that to

:29:03. > :29:06.the rules schools are playing in picking up the pieces. One school

:29:07. > :29:11.told me that they estimated at around five children in each class

:29:12. > :29:18.were experiencing or witnessing domestic abuse in some form at home.

:29:19. > :29:24.And indeed, I was told the very sad story of how a school had worked or

:29:25. > :29:27.was working with the mother. She had an emergency escape bag in a

:29:28. > :29:39.cupboard at school for when she felt she absolutely had to flee her home.

:29:40. > :29:43.These cases are far from unique, and indeed, Women's Aid highlight

:29:44. > :29:50.further staggering statistics. The crime survey of England and Wales

:29:51. > :29:56.found that 27.1% of women have experienced domestic abuse since the

:29:57. > :30:05.age of 16, but the rate of domestic violence crime against women has

:30:06. > :30:12.doubled each year since 2009. And indeed, there were over 100,000

:30:13. > :30:19.prosecutions for domestic abuse in 2015 - 16. The highest level ever

:30:20. > :30:23.recorded. It has also been a year since the new offence of coercive

:30:24. > :30:30.control came into force. Domestic abuse goes beyond physical violence

:30:31. > :30:35.and using the law will require greater understanding. One of the

:30:36. > :30:40.questions I would like to put to the Minister is if she could, in her

:30:41. > :30:44.closing remarks, I'd be grateful if she could outline the steps the

:30:45. > :30:50.government is taking to improve training for statutory agencies, so

:30:51. > :30:59.that some of these new fences can be put to greater use. I once to make

:31:00. > :31:04.mention of the issue of online abuse as well, because the scale and

:31:05. > :31:12.nature of both domestic and other abuse is changing. And indeed, in

:31:13. > :31:22.relation to online abuse and how that is combining with off-line

:31:23. > :31:26.abuse, in a survey by Women's Aid, for over 45% of survivors of

:31:27. > :31:31.domestic abuse had also experienced online abuse. There is a real need

:31:32. > :31:35.to look at the legal frameworks we have two ensure the law is

:31:36. > :31:39.up-to-date in all areas, to make sure that there can be protection

:31:40. > :31:46.against online abuse as well as off-line abuse. I will give way to

:31:47. > :31:51.my honourable friend. I thank her for giving way on that point in

:31:52. > :31:55.relation to Facebook and Twitter and other social media outlets. They

:31:56. > :32:00.need to take responsibility for some of the abuse, in that they don't

:32:01. > :32:06.regulate enough. It would be a very positive step for them to support

:32:07. > :32:12.women and girls, but also other groups that are abused by the social

:32:13. > :32:21.media network. He makes a very important point and later I will be

:32:22. > :32:29.mentioning the work of the Reclaim The Internet Campaign and the work

:32:30. > :32:32.they are doing. He highlights the need for a form of court of practice

:32:33. > :32:40.for technology companies and social media providers, both to ensure that

:32:41. > :32:44.survivors of domestic abuse and other forms of violence are

:32:45. > :32:48.protected online, but also other vulnerable users are not subject to

:32:49. > :32:57.abuse producer goes unchallenged or unaddressed. Indeed, I will give

:32:58. > :33:03.way. Does she agree with me that the codes of conduct are already there.

:33:04. > :33:08.There are rules of the road that social media platforms ostensibly

:33:09. > :33:14.trumpet as monitoring their conduct online, but they don't enforce them

:33:15. > :33:18.to the extent that they should. He makes an important point. I think

:33:19. > :33:23.there are good and emerging codes of practice, but I don't believe they

:33:24. > :33:28.go far enough and certainly are not enforced sufficiently. I do believe

:33:29. > :33:32.that there could be further work done, for example, the government

:33:33. > :33:37.could investigate the regulation of closing down of websites that

:33:38. > :33:43.promote or profit from sexual abuse images, but I think we can also look

:33:44. > :33:47.at the extent to which criminal and civil sanctions are used in the

:33:48. > :33:54.cases of domestic abuse, such as domestic violence protection orders

:33:55. > :33:57.and non-molestation orders, and apply to routinely restrain a

:33:58. > :34:02.perpetrator and for making digital contact with a survivor. I do hope I

:34:03. > :34:09.will be able to hear some response from the ministers on that issue. I

:34:10. > :34:13.will give way. Would she agree with me that in relation to online abuse

:34:14. > :34:17.and also physical abuse, that part of the problem is that sometimes

:34:18. > :34:22.these offences across international borders, that many of these websites

:34:23. > :34:28.are hosted outside of the UK. Will she join me in asking the Minister

:34:29. > :34:33.to offer us assurances that as we leave the European Union, the

:34:34. > :34:38.security arrangements we have in place, through European Security

:34:39. > :34:47.agencies, will be protected and will be resourced to be up to the task? I

:34:48. > :34:52.thank my honourable friend for her intervention. She is absolutely

:34:53. > :34:56.right and having worked for in the creative industries on some of the

:34:57. > :35:03.issues around the prevention and addressing of abuse online, I

:35:04. > :35:06.certainly experienced myself the complexity of reaching agreement.

:35:07. > :35:13.And the more we work together as governments, that will help in

:35:14. > :35:18.moving forward on this complex issue of policy and regulation. She

:35:19. > :35:25.highlights the potential risks to this cross- government work that

:35:26. > :35:30.could come from Brexit and I do hope the Minister will address this in

:35:31. > :35:35.her remarks and indeed, give confidence to this House that our

:35:36. > :35:48.implementation of the Istanbul convention will also not be affected

:35:49. > :35:53.by impending Brexit. I may also make mention of the famous I'd sentence.

:35:54. > :36:01.It is a horror that we're recording and told the detail of women killed

:36:02. > :36:08.by men. This was an initiative launched in partnership with Women's

:36:09. > :36:15.Aid, based on the information in a blog, Counting Dead Women in which

:36:16. > :36:22.details of women killed by men were collated. The MP for Birmingham

:36:23. > :36:33.Yardley has released is powerfully and previous occasions. A new report

:36:34. > :36:36.collates information on 936 men in England and Wales, killed by fatal

:36:37. > :36:42.male violence. There have been a number of recommendations to the

:36:43. > :36:47.government, and I'm confident we would hear some information from the

:36:48. > :36:51.government on their response. I also want to recognise the work by local

:36:52. > :37:00.authorities across the country as they grapple with cuts. My own local

:37:01. > :37:06.authority, data from my own local authority shows that in the year to

:37:07. > :37:11.September 2016, there were over 4400 more notifiable offences, compared

:37:12. > :37:15.to September 20 15. Domestic offences, sexual offences and rape

:37:16. > :37:23.offences have all seen a rise. I want to mention the work of our

:37:24. > :37:28.elite councillor on this portfolio, Sue Sampson. Sue's Sister Maureen

:37:29. > :37:35.Roberts aged 23 was shot dead in her place of work in 1976. West

:37:36. > :37:40.Middlesex Hospital, which still serves my constituency. She was shot

:37:41. > :37:44.dead by her estranged husband. Maureen had become a victim of

:37:45. > :37:50.domestic violence shortly after she married three years earlier.

:37:51. > :37:54.Straight after he shot her, he turned the gun on himself, killing

:37:55. > :38:00.himself. Sue still lives with that shock and the horror of what

:38:01. > :38:09.happens, like many others, who are the victims also of the attacks on

:38:10. > :38:12.women and the killings that we have seen now increasingly documented.

:38:13. > :38:16.They live with those stories for the rest of their lives. We have come

:38:17. > :38:20.far with the changes in the law, but as this week's femicide census

:38:21. > :38:29.shows, it is still happening all too often. She is making a very powerful

:38:30. > :38:34.speech on this incredibly important subject. She is right to mention

:38:35. > :38:37.local councils. Stafford borough council has worked together with

:38:38. > :38:42.Staffordshire Women's Aid to create a new women's refuge in Stafford.

:38:43. > :38:47.Would she not agree that this is a fine example of partnership working,

:38:48. > :38:51.which in this case is under the inspirational leadership of Dickie

:38:52. > :38:58.James? He has made his point extremely well and he's absolutely

:38:59. > :39:03.right. Indeed, his local authority, like Hounslow and other authorities,

:39:04. > :39:12.are at the front line for prevention, early and provision of

:39:13. > :39:20.support, but many will face huge challenges in cuts to funding. And

:39:21. > :39:27.the integration of services. The scale of the challenge is also

:39:28. > :39:31.increasing, as data shows. The pattern of violence seems to be

:39:32. > :39:36.beginning even earlier. The women and equality select committee's

:39:37. > :39:41.recent enquiry and report found that almost a third of 16-18 -year-olds

:39:42. > :39:50.say they have experienced unwanted sexual touching at school. 69% of

:39:51. > :39:54.girls and young women aged 13-21 C that they had faced some sort of

:39:55. > :40:02.sexual harassment at school or college.

:40:03. > :40:10.We also need to reflect that the nature of violence can change also.

:40:11. > :40:14.The revenge porn helpline last year received almost 4000 calls, with

:40:15. > :40:22.cases of children as young as 11 making those calls. The battle is

:40:23. > :40:28.being fought hard and with the organisations we are lucky to have

:40:29. > :40:31.individuals working tirelessly. There is cause for hope. I want to

:40:32. > :40:42.thank organisations including women's aid and Refuge. Women's aid

:40:43. > :40:51.also have an affected child first campaign to deal with the needs of

:40:52. > :41:07.victims, the Southall sisters, the FGF campaigners -- FGM campaigners.

:41:08. > :41:09.One woman was recognised by the star university with an honorary

:41:10. > :41:12.doctorate for the work she has done in driving forward an effective

:41:13. > :41:20.campaign -- she was recognised by Bristol university. A very powerful

:41:21. > :41:24.point is being made. The work of the women's refuges was mentioned, and I

:41:25. > :41:27.wanted to highlight that the government is giving ?20 million for

:41:28. > :41:32.women's refuges to help them with their valuable work. I would urge

:41:33. > :41:35.people to firstly applaud that and secondly take advantage of it. I

:41:36. > :41:46.wonder what my honourable friend would say about that. I thank the

:41:47. > :41:49.honourable member for her intervention. Having worked on these

:41:50. > :41:56.issues in Parliament for a number of years, I am sure she will understand

:41:57. > :42:01.our acknowledgement of that support, but also the question of whether it

:42:02. > :42:04.goes far enough or is funding that will be sustained so that

:42:05. > :42:08.organisations can sufficiently plan and work ahead and whether or not

:42:09. > :42:13.that funding has replaced cuts in other areas. There are complex

:42:14. > :42:19.issues around funding for refuges that she will be aware of. To

:42:20. > :42:23.support those services has to be a priority for any government in

:42:24. > :42:28.Britain so that we can provide that support for women at their most

:42:29. > :42:34.vulnerable moments. The everyday sexism campaign as well has shown

:42:35. > :42:41.effectively and has campaigned hard on how women face threats against

:42:42. > :42:45.them in every walk of life. I also want to repeat my mention of the

:42:46. > :42:49.reclaimed the internet campaign, which I believe, going into the

:42:50. > :42:53.future, as an important role to play as the scale of technology in our

:42:54. > :43:05.lives and the way in which that can be used both support victims, but

:43:06. > :43:15.also against victims. That must be tackled by lawmakers. I also want to

:43:16. > :43:19.put on record my appreciation of a campaign which reminds us that

:43:20. > :43:26.gender-based violence is not inevitable and that prevention is

:43:27. > :43:34.not only possible, but essential. To my points about why we need the

:43:35. > :43:40.government to do more... Before the honourable lady comes onto a large

:43:41. > :43:44.chunk of speech, I should point out to her that I appreciate that she

:43:45. > :43:50.has taken a lot of interventions during this speech and that we are

:43:51. > :43:56.not under tremendous time pressure, but she has taken very much longer

:43:57. > :44:01.than the time normally allocated for the opening speech in a debate like

:44:02. > :44:04.this. I am not suggesting that she should finish immediately, but

:44:05. > :44:07.perhaps she should just have a couple of minutes more. Seema

:44:08. > :44:18.Malhotra. Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. You will be pleased to hear

:44:19. > :44:25.that I am very close to concluding. I mentioned that we had written to

:44:26. > :44:28.the Prime Minister regarding the Istanbul convention and an update

:44:29. > :44:42.from the minister on that would be welcomed today. If I could also

:44:43. > :44:51.welcome the government's moves this week on the new measures to support

:44:52. > :44:55.victims of stalking, and also the announcement of new funding

:44:56. > :45:00.guidelines. Obviously, there is much work to do with the announcement of

:45:01. > :45:02.national expectations to see what has been announced actually makes a

:45:03. > :45:09.difference and is addressing the challenges we have heard raised from

:45:10. > :45:17.services across the country. We need to ensure that best practice that is

:45:18. > :45:21.highlighted is promoted and extended and that those providing services

:45:22. > :45:26.through local authorities also have some guarantees that they will have

:45:27. > :45:34.resources in the future. Maya also make a reference to the need for

:45:35. > :45:37.compulsory and urgent relationship and sex education and recognised the

:45:38. > :45:44.work of my honourable friend the member for Walthamstow in this. It

:45:45. > :45:54.is so urgent to focus on healthy consensual relationships. I met the

:45:55. > :46:00.family of 20-year-old Holly, who was killed in 2014 by an ex-partner.

:46:01. > :46:04.They highlighted how she did not speak out about the abuse, nor did

:46:05. > :46:08.she understand the signs of a controlling relationship. They

:46:09. > :46:13.believe that relationship and sex education in schools could have

:46:14. > :46:16.saved their daughter. It is a message they take throughout their

:46:17. > :46:20.organisation. There is an urgent need for this, and I fail to

:46:21. > :46:22.understand how after six years, the government has failed to implement

:46:23. > :46:29.what all the evidence shows is necessary. Where there is

:46:30. > :46:32.relationship and sex education in schools, it is clearly patchwork and

:46:33. > :46:36.not good enough. There is an urgent need to join up delivery not just on

:46:37. > :46:39.this, but also on the government strategy as a whole for violence

:46:40. > :46:46.against women and girls. If I could make my final point on the need for

:46:47. > :46:50.a shift in culture in our country, the public awareness about the role

:46:51. > :46:55.we can all play. I mentioned the excellent work of Croydon Council,

:46:56. > :46:58.where their work has taken the issue mainstream, engaging with businesses

:46:59. > :47:04.on how they can be the first line of support for their employees who are

:47:05. > :47:10.victims, as well as other organisations. It is not always

:47:11. > :47:15.about resources, it is a shift in culture, and it can save lives. If I

:47:16. > :47:18.could close with a quote, which I believe is very powerful and

:47:19. > :47:26.important for us to note, from Ban Ki-Moon. "Violence Against women and

:47:27. > :47:29.girls is a human rights violation, a public health pandemic and a

:47:30. > :47:33.obstacle to development. It imposes a large cost of families,

:47:34. > :47:39.communities and economies. The world cannot afford to pay this price".

:47:40. > :47:45.The question is as on the order paper. It is a great pleasure to

:47:46. > :47:48.follow the honourable lady for Feltham and Heston and congratulate

:47:49. > :47:53.her on needing this debate, and also to thank the backbench business

:47:54. > :47:55.committee for granting the debate in the first dose. Gender-based

:47:56. > :48:03.violence is a human rights violation. And it is something that

:48:04. > :48:08.women confront in every country. But whichever side of the House we sit

:48:09. > :48:14.on today, I think we can recognise and be proud of this government's

:48:15. > :48:19.record, particularly the commitment from the Prime Minister to these

:48:20. > :48:23.issues. My right honourable friend the Prime Minister has shown her

:48:24. > :48:28.commitment on a personal level to ending violence against women not

:48:29. > :48:35.just with warm words, but with clear action. Ever since I have been an MP

:48:36. > :48:38.in this place, and probably as long as you have, Madam Deputy Speaker,

:48:39. > :48:43.the Prime Minister has shown that commitment. We do need more

:48:44. > :48:48.countries to have that sort of leadership that we have in this

:48:49. > :48:54.country. I was reminded of this yesterday when I spoke to my

:48:55. > :48:57.counterpart, chair of the Parliamentary women's committee in

:48:58. > :49:04.Tunisia, who has been instrumental in pressing forward with a women's

:49:05. > :49:08.rights and gender violence Bill which would be ground-breaking in

:49:09. > :49:13.terms of legislation in the Arab world, and deserves our support. I

:49:14. > :49:17.would also like to echo the words of the honourable lady who has just

:49:18. > :49:22.spoken to pay tribute to the extraordinary work of organisations

:49:23. > :49:26.like Women's Aid, Refuge, ActionAid, the coalition to end violence

:49:27. > :49:30.against women and the Everyday Sexism campaign. The sort of civil

:49:31. > :49:34.society we take for granted which doesn't always exist in other

:49:35. > :49:38.countries. One of our challenges is, how do we take forward that sort of

:49:39. > :49:42.learning into other countries around the world? , honourable gentleman

:49:43. > :49:50.forgive me if I make some speed? Don't want to incur the wrath Madam

:49:51. > :49:57.Deputy Speaker! I know her well. The government's record at home should

:49:58. > :49:59.be recognised across the House. The government's violence against women

:50:00. > :50:05.strategy which was delivered in March means that in the UK, we have

:50:06. > :50:09.a clear practical strategy in place not only to support victims, but

:50:10. > :50:14.also to bring perpetrators to justice. New offences have gone in

:50:15. > :50:19.hand with work to change culture, and again, this Prime Minister has

:50:20. > :50:25.put in place the Modern Slavery Act to tackle a crime which affects so

:50:26. > :50:28.many women. But still, we have 1.3 million women in this country who

:50:29. > :50:35.have experienced domestic violence in the last year. 400,000 have been

:50:36. > :50:38.victims of sexual assault. The announcements that were made by my

:50:39. > :50:44.honourable friend who is sitting on the front bench today, yesterday,

:50:45. > :50:47.show that this government is in no way complacent. New stalking and

:50:48. > :50:52.civil protection orders, more funding for better support services,

:50:53. > :50:58.all shows is that this is under constant review. We should also

:50:59. > :51:04.recognise the work that has been done in other parts of government.

:51:05. > :51:07.The UK has advocated for a stand-alone go on gender equality as

:51:08. > :51:10.part of the sustainable development goals, something that my select

:51:11. > :51:14.committee will be looking at in detail. We need to make sure that

:51:15. > :51:20.those commitments are put into practice at home. It is DFID who has

:51:21. > :51:25.increased the support to tackle violence against women by increasing

:51:26. > :51:31.by 60% its funding for work in Africa, particularly around the

:51:32. > :51:42.issues of female genital mutilation. Hold on, boys!

:51:43. > :51:48.It is DFID who supported the work on freedom programme which means over

:51:49. > :51:53.200,000 people, particularly those in domestic households and also in

:51:54. > :51:57.the garment industry in South Asia and the Middle East who have been

:51:58. > :52:00.helped who would have before been facing slavery and exploitation. I

:52:01. > :52:05.will give way to the honourable gentleman for the Liberal Democrats.

:52:06. > :52:12.I thank her for giving way to one of the boys. Clearly, I welcome the

:52:13. > :52:17.measures the government reducing in relation to FGM and in particular

:52:18. > :52:21.the NHS now having to collate data sets on this. I wonder if she has

:52:22. > :52:28.any evidence that this is starting to feed through in terms of an

:52:29. > :52:33.increased level of prosecutions? Yes, I was going to speak about

:52:34. > :52:38.that. The honourable gentleman is slightly stealing my next lines.

:52:39. > :52:41.When you look at the crime survey statistics that have been brought

:52:42. > :52:44.out, the number of women experiencing domestic violence is

:52:45. > :52:47.actually the lowest since the survey began. And there is a downward trend

:52:48. > :52:54.in the prevalence of sexual assaults. There is still much more

:52:55. > :52:59.to do, but we are seeing the highest ever levels of convictions for

:53:00. > :53:02.violence against women crimes. I know the honourable gentleman would

:53:03. > :53:09.agree that there is more to do, but I think the direction of travel is

:53:10. > :53:12.something to be applauded. But we still have 1.3 million women who

:53:13. > :53:17.will be potentially listening to this debate today and thinking there

:53:18. > :53:22.is more we could be doing for them. Actually, I feel I should give way

:53:23. > :53:26.to the honourable gentleman whose constituency I can't remember. I

:53:27. > :53:31.thank the honourable lady for giving way and the contribution she is

:53:32. > :53:34.making. As she agree it is important that the government ratifies the

:53:35. > :53:39.Istanbul convention to show global leadership? We heard in the debate

:53:40. > :53:43.in Westminster Hall yesterday about the situation in South Sudan, where

:53:44. > :53:46.70% of women in the capital city have experienced sexual assault

:53:47. > :53:51.during the conflict in that country. It is horrific and we need to show

:53:52. > :53:54.global leadership by ratifying the convention. The honourable gentleman

:53:55. > :54:03.is right. We have signed that convention, though. We are waiting

:54:04. > :54:07.for the ratification. I know that ministerial colleagues will be

:54:08. > :54:10.looking at how we unpick the complexities of making sure that

:54:11. > :54:21.ratification is done in the right way. Mr Deputy Speaker... Sorry, Mr

:54:22. > :54:26.Speaker! I just want to focus on two Swift points, because I know there

:54:27. > :54:29.are many different honourable members who want to come in on this

:54:30. > :54:32.debate. I make no bones about it. I am going to focus on two issues that

:54:33. > :54:44.affect us in the UK. I think the biggest challenges in

:54:45. > :54:49.our lives on the way we tackle the online world. This is something Mr

:54:50. > :54:51.Speaker that we need to do more about. Children spend more time

:54:52. > :54:57.online than they do watching television. We have new and more

:54:58. > :55:03.inventive ways being put to us in terms of the weight perpetrators of

:55:04. > :55:07.against women and girls act will stop 45% of domestic violence

:55:08. > :55:11.survivors experience abuse online and that is abuse that is really

:55:12. > :55:16.difficult to escape. I welcome the legislation that this Government has

:55:17. > :55:19.brought in in terms of online prevention and I welcomed working

:55:20. > :55:27.with my right honourable friend who was then the in the Department of

:55:28. > :55:30.Justice, making sure that we have world leading legislation in this

:55:31. > :55:36.area are not only that, helping support victims through the revenge

:55:37. > :55:47.pornography helpline. The new guidance that has been issued to

:55:48. > :55:50.schools on sexting. It is putting in the laws we need to reckon I set the

:55:51. > :55:55.mind what is very different and that those are the laws around age

:55:56. > :55:58.verification, for accessing pornography online. We need to go

:55:59. > :56:02.further and I do hope that the Law Commission is able to take forward

:56:03. > :56:07.its review of the law in this area. I want to see four things. Firstly,

:56:08. > :56:12.to make sure that it is clear that if there is a legal liability or on

:56:13. > :56:15.my media platforms to make sure that women are not abused online, that

:56:16. > :56:20.there is a clear definition of the abuse and that there is a

:56:21. > :56:27.recognition of the drain on police resources that the current system

:56:28. > :56:33.at a system of fines that those who at a system of fines that those who

:56:34. > :56:39.are the worst offenders in this way. We should not be put off by the fact

:56:40. > :56:41.that this is an industry that transcends international builders,

:56:42. > :56:46.we need to make sure that it is working for us in our country in the

:56:47. > :56:50.way we want it to and finally to this and previous thoughts which was

:56:51. > :56:52.the importance of having a proper code of practice, not just lip

:56:53. > :56:57.service and am afraid at the moment that is what it is. The second area.

:56:58. > :57:04.I believe we need to focus on in debate debate, dumping the

:57:05. > :57:08.honourable lady brought up which I think is the select committee

:57:09. > :57:11.brought out on sexual harassment, excellent because of the wonderful

:57:12. > :57:17.work of the clerks, not because we like myself on the honourable lady,

:57:18. > :57:21.as much as we try very hard. I thank the honourable lady who led the

:57:22. > :57:26.debate today for allowing us to attach that report to this bill to

:57:27. > :57:30.give it more publicity. Because she knows from having read it that two

:57:31. > :57:32.out of three young women are experiencing sexual harassment and

:57:33. > :57:38.basis. She knows that than Justice basis. She knows that than Justice

:57:39. > :57:41.in the 21st Century on Innovative Approaches for the Criminal Justice

:57:42. > :57:49.System then goes on that 68% of students are experienced verbal and

:57:50. > :57:55.physical harassment. They go on the outside world to have 85% of women

:57:56. > :57:58.unwanted sexual attention. A document of problem that we need to

:57:59. > :58:02.make sure we are dealing with in this country. I believe that whilst

:58:03. > :58:05.there are many things that we can be doing, the one thing that we can be

:58:06. > :58:08.doing more than anything else is making sure that we give young

:58:09. > :58:14.people the sort of knowledge that they need to be able to navigate the

:58:15. > :58:21.world better, the sort of knowledge that they would get from having

:58:22. > :58:27.compulsory sex in -- and relationship information at school.

:58:28. > :58:33.We have to do tackle the root causes as well. The sort of behaviour that

:58:34. > :58:36.some of us had to experience in the workplace of 30 years ago is

:58:37. > :58:41.something we would not tolerate, yet we are insisting that young people

:58:42. > :58:45.keep quiet, do not speak out and do not get the support that they need

:58:46. > :58:51.when they experience that sort of behaviour at school. I know, Mr

:58:52. > :58:52.Speaker, that there is a great deal of support for change in this area.

:58:53. > :58:58.I have heard it from the dispatch I have heard it from the dispatch

:58:59. > :59:06.box, from my honourable friend, the education minister, the Secretary of

:59:07. > :59:11.State, the Minister for women, I hope to hear perhaps today from my

:59:12. > :59:17.contributes to this debate. There is contributes to this debate. There is

:59:18. > :59:20.widespread support from ministers across the board, across departments

:59:21. > :59:25.to update this guidance, to make sure that it is fit for purpose and

:59:26. > :59:28.to make sure that we listen to be 90% of parents who want compulsory

:59:29. > :59:36.sex and relationship education and they want it now.

:59:37. > :59:40.Thank you, Mr Speaker. Today, I am going to relate an event that

:59:41. > :59:43.happened to me many years ago and I wanted to give it a very personal

:59:44. > :59:48.perspective to help people in this place and outside to understand one

:59:49. > :59:55.element of sexual violence against women. When I was 14, I was raped.

:59:56. > :00:00.As is common, it was by somebody who was known to me. He had offered to

:00:01. > :00:04.walk me home from a youth event and in those days, everybody walked

:00:05. > :00:10.everywhere, it was quite common to do that. It was early evening, it

:00:11. > :00:14.was not dark, I was wearing jeans and a sweatshirt. I knew my wearable

:00:15. > :00:19.round, where I live, I was very confident and we went a slightly

:00:20. > :00:24.different way but I did not think anything of it. He told me he wanted

:00:25. > :00:30.to show me something in a wooded area and at that point, I must

:00:31. > :00:34.admit, I was alarmed. I did have a warning bell. But I overrode that

:00:35. > :00:40.warning about because I knew him and therefore there was a level of trust

:00:41. > :00:45.in place. And to be honest, looking back at that point, I do not think I

:00:46. > :00:48.knew what rape was. It was not something that was talked about. My

:00:49. > :00:53.mother never talk to me about it, I did not hear other girls or other

:00:54. > :00:58.women talking about it. It was mercifully quick and I remember

:00:59. > :01:10.first of all feeling surprised then beer and then horror as I realised I

:01:11. > :01:15.could not simply escape. -- fear. There was no sexual desire from him,

:01:16. > :01:22.I find odd. My senses were absolutely numbed and thinking about

:01:23. > :01:25.it now, 37 years later, I remember, I cannot remember hearing anything

:01:26. > :01:31.when I be played in my mind. Now, as when I be played in my mind. Now, as

:01:32. > :01:38.somebody who is an ex-professional musician who is very auditory, I

:01:39. > :01:41.find that quite telling. I now understand that your subconscious

:01:42. > :01:45.brain, not your conscious brain, makes a decision on your behalf as

:01:46. > :01:49.to hell you should respond, whether you take flight, whether you fight

:01:50. > :01:55.or whether you freeze. And I froze, I must be honest. Afterwards I

:01:56. > :01:58.walked home alone, I was crying, I was cold and shivering and I now

:01:59. > :02:05.realise that was the shock response. I did not tell my mother. I did not

:02:06. > :02:11.tell my father. I did not tell my friends. I did not tell the police.

:02:12. > :02:15.I bottled it all up inside me. I hope, briefly, an appallingly that I

:02:16. > :02:20.might be pregnant so that would force a situation to help me control

:02:21. > :02:25.it. Of course, without support, the capacity and resources I had with me

:02:26. > :02:29.to process it with very limited. I was very ashamed, I was ashamed that

:02:30. > :02:33.I had allowed this to happen to me and I had a whole range of internal

:02:34. > :02:39.conversations about I should have known, why did I go that way? Why

:02:40. > :02:43.did I walk home with them? Why did I not understand the danger? I

:02:44. > :02:48.deserved it because I was to this, I was to that. I thought that I was

:02:49. > :02:54.spoiled and impure. I really felt revulsion towards myself. I then

:02:55. > :03:00.detached from the child that I had been and although at the age of 14

:03:01. > :03:04.that was properly the start of my sexual awakening, at that time

:03:05. > :03:07.remembering back, sex was something that men did to women and perhaps

:03:08. > :03:11.this incident reinforced that early Billy. I briefly thought favour

:03:12. > :03:25.elsewhere. -- that early Billy. My oldest friends with whom I am

:03:26. > :03:30.still friends must have sensed change in me but because I had never

:03:31. > :03:34.told them, they did not know because. I allowed myself to drift

:03:35. > :03:39.away from them for quite a few years and indeed found myself taking time

:03:40. > :03:44.off school and staying at home on my own listening to music and reading

:03:45. > :03:47.and so on. I did have a boyfriend in later years of school and he was

:03:48. > :03:53.very supportive when I told about it but economic sense my response and

:03:54. > :03:59.it is my response that gives weight to the event. I carried that guilt,

:04:00. > :04:03.anger, and sadness for years. And when I got married, 12 years later,

:04:04. > :04:08.I felt I had a duty to tell my husband. I wanted him to understand

:04:09. > :04:13.why there was this waddled kernel of extreme emotion at the very heart of

:04:14. > :04:18.for many years, I simply could not for many years, I simply could not

:04:19. > :04:23.say the words without crying. I cannot say the words. And it was

:04:24. > :04:30.only my mid-40s I took some steps to go and get help. So it had a huge

:04:31. > :04:34.effect on me and it fundamentally and fatally undermined it my self

:04:35. > :04:39.esteem, my confidence and my sense of self-worth. Despite this, I am

:04:40. > :04:46.happily married for 25 years. But it happily married for 25 years. But it

:04:47. > :04:49.was the effect from a small significant event in my life stage,

:04:50. > :04:57.how must it be for these women who are carrying this in a day by day

:04:58. > :05:02.basis. And I thought should I speak about this today? And that almost

:05:03. > :05:07.intake of breath, what, you're going to go and talk about this was

:05:08. > :05:12.exactly the reason that me to go into it because there is still a

:05:13. > :05:16.taboo about sharing this kind of information and certainly the people

:05:17. > :05:22.of my generation, it is truly shocking to be talking in public

:05:23. > :05:25.about this sort of thing. And somebody remarked earlier, they does

:05:26. > :05:31.not affect women, infects the family as well and before my mother died,

:05:32. > :05:37.early of cancer, I really wanted to tell her. I could not bring myself

:05:38. > :05:39.to. I have a daughter and if something happened to my daughter

:05:40. > :05:45.and she could not shared with me, I would be appalled. It was perhaps

:05:46. > :05:46.cowardly but there was an act of love that meant I protected my

:05:47. > :05:52.mother. As an adult, of course I now mother. As an adult, of course I now

:05:53. > :05:56.know rape is not about sex at all, it is all about power and control

:05:57. > :06:00.and it is a crime of violence and I still pick up on where the myth of

:06:01. > :06:04.rape are perpetuated from a male perspective. Surely you could have

:06:05. > :06:08.fought him off, did you scream loudly enough? And the idea that

:06:09. > :06:11.some men would suggest that the women is giving subtle hints or is

:06:12. > :06:15.making it up is outrageous. These are but the women at the heart of

:06:16. > :06:21.cause when she should be at the heart of effect. A rate happens when

:06:22. > :06:25.a man makes a decision to hurt someone he feels he can control,

:06:26. > :06:31.rapes happen because of the rapist, not because the victim. And we women

:06:32. > :06:37.and society has to stand up for each other. We have to be courageous, we

:06:38. > :06:41.are wrong. We have to nurture are wrong. We have to nurture

:06:42. > :06:46.sisters as we do with our sons. Like many women of my age, I have, on

:06:47. > :06:50.occasion, encountered other aggressive actions towards people,

:06:51. > :06:58.both in business and in politics. But one thing I realise now is that

:06:59. > :07:09.I am not scared and he was. I am not scared. I am not a victim, I am a

:07:10. > :07:14.survivor. I thank the honourable lady for what she has said and the

:07:15. > :07:26.way in which she said it which is left an impression upon us all.

:07:27. > :07:32.Thank you, Mr Speaker. It's an unbelievable thing to follow on

:07:33. > :07:43.from, the member for Edinburgh West, after she has shared a have terrific

:07:44. > :07:55.event from 37 years of growth. -- horrific. The extension of the

:07:56. > :08:00.shameless... It is very hard to comprehend. Thank you for calling me

:08:01. > :08:07.at this really very important debate. I would like to congratulate

:08:08. > :08:12.the honourable lady for securing this important debate and it gives

:08:13. > :08:21.us an opportunity around this chamber to share our experiences and

:08:22. > :08:25.this House, when it speaks to the this House, when it speaks to the

:08:26. > :08:31.nation. It is incredibly concerning and depressing and deeply

:08:32. > :08:37.distressing to have this debate on violence against women when we have

:08:38. > :08:43.so many different themes to discuss and one of my first points was going

:08:44. > :08:50.to be about rape being used as a disgusting weapon of war. Or indeed

:08:51. > :08:54.the fear and as we had the actuality of it happening on streets to

:08:55. > :09:01.youngsters. Last night, I hosted an event with colleagues, an all-party

:09:02. > :09:05.Parliament group, women in Parliament group alongside the women

:09:06. > :09:08.in enterprise group to give help and support and inspire and trying to

:09:09. > :09:13.link in further with women in communities across the UK. These

:09:14. > :09:17.diverse women coming to Parliament, talking about their thriving

:09:18. > :09:22.networks, their growing backrooms but it is vital as we have heard, we

:09:23. > :09:28.must accept and that the knowledge that gender-based inequality can

:09:29. > :09:31.stop our women and children from the very basic life chances and the

:09:32. > :09:33.opportunities due to the threat of violence that people live with

:09:34. > :09:38.daily. From acts of institutional daily. From acts of institutional

:09:39. > :09:43.violence against women across the violence against women across the

:09:44. > :09:50.world to domestic abuse, so much needs to be done to protect women

:09:51. > :09:55.from gendered -based violence. It is astonishing and heartbreaking to

:09:56. > :09:59.report that one third of women have experienced physical or sexual

:10:00. > :10:05.that is the women who do feel able that is the women who do feel able

:10:06. > :10:13.to report it. More than two thirds of family related homicides of our

:10:14. > :10:18.women. Turning to my constituency work and the impact of what I have

:10:19. > :10:23.experienced weekly in my surgeries in hearing from people who when I

:10:24. > :10:28.sit there, I understand they are living with coercive control. It is

:10:29. > :10:32.something that we now have a law about and I have spoken to both the

:10:33. > :10:37.Home Secretary and the chief con all of Hampshire Police about

:10:38. > :10:40.understanding that law and the opportunity that we have to protect

:10:41. > :10:45.people who find themselves within it and even sitting in my office is

:10:46. > :10:47.going through what this law covers, people start to recognise this is

:10:48. > :10:58.actually happening. I encounter constituents coming in

:10:59. > :11:01.and reporting how they have had to deal with this, how they have

:11:02. > :11:05.interacted with the police and how they have felt under threat innit

:11:06. > :11:08.threat and fear and how they want me to feed in the actuality of their

:11:09. > :11:15.situation and the control and threat that people find around family. It

:11:16. > :11:19.still shocks and surprises me that people do not feel safe in a place

:11:20. > :11:22.where they are reporting what has happened to them so that they can go

:11:23. > :11:30.on to a better life, which they deserve. I welcome the work that

:11:31. > :11:37.this government is doing on a vital strategy to end violence against

:11:38. > :11:39.women, committing to a transformation of service delivery,

:11:40. > :11:47.achieving a long term reduction in these crimes. I have been proud to

:11:48. > :11:50.have contributed to the role women and equality select committee and

:11:51. > :11:54.congratulate the right honourable member for Basingstoke on the

:11:55. > :11:59.commitment, and it is pure commitment, and leadership she has

:12:00. > :12:05.shown to make this an effective and bold, vital committee to the work of

:12:06. > :12:09.this House. This strategy and the associated funding we have heard,

:12:10. > :12:15.the 80 million will go some way to fight violence against women. I am

:12:16. > :12:18.also especially pleased that as we have heard today, 20 million more

:12:19. > :12:25.will go towards supporting women's refuges and helping councils to

:12:26. > :12:32.provide further accommodation for women fleeing violent partners. I

:12:33. > :12:39.would like to touch on three of the key areas where I feel I can

:12:40. > :12:41.contribute to this debate today - human trafficking, stalking and the

:12:42. > :12:48.international effort to stop this violence. Human trafficking is

:12:49. > :12:53.widely accepted to be a form of violence directed against women.

:12:54. > :12:57.Police and other authorities have identified at least 3266 people last

:12:58. > :13:05.year who were thought to have been victims of modern slavery. We must

:13:06. > :13:11.all suspect that the real number, including those who go undetected,

:13:12. > :13:15.is higher. This government is doing excellent work to increase the rate

:13:16. > :13:21.of detection and liberate these modern slaves from their abusers.

:13:22. > :13:27.Often, victims of modern slavery are women who have been sold a lie, are

:13:28. > :13:29.forced with threats of violence into this country into degrading and

:13:30. > :13:36.dangerous servitude. While we debate this motion today in a palace by the

:13:37. > :13:41.river, we are in the same city where women are being beaten, enslaved and

:13:42. > :13:46.forced into prostitution. There can be no effort to great and no stone

:13:47. > :13:52.left unturned as we find the gangs responsible for this hideous crime

:13:53. > :13:55.and punish them. I welcome the work that the first independent

:13:56. > :13:58.anti-slavery commissioner, Kevin Hyland, is doing, and I hope his

:13:59. > :14:07.recent report will continue to shine a light on this despicable criminal

:14:08. > :14:10.gang action and we will make sure those gangs are brought to justice

:14:11. > :14:18.who continue to exploit our women. In addition to DFID's work on the

:14:19. > :14:22.freedom programme, which is reaching over 200,000 people so far, I am

:14:23. > :14:26.delighted to be in a government supporting our DFID aid budget. I

:14:27. > :14:30.would like to now turn to the issue of stalking. The government's

:14:31. > :14:35.introduction of section 111 and the protection of freedoms act of 2012,

:14:36. > :14:42.which created two new offences in terms of stalking. The more serious

:14:43. > :14:47.one of these is the aid for offence. It is defined as stalking involving

:14:48. > :14:55.fear of violence or serious alarm or distress. Once again, we see another

:14:56. > :14:58.theme in which women face the threat of violence. The number of

:14:59. > :15:07.prosecutions is rising every year, from 91 in the first six months to

:15:08. > :15:12.over 1100 prosecutions commencing in 2014-15. In the December 2015, the

:15:13. > :15:17.Home Office published this consultation to introduce whether a

:15:18. > :15:22.protection order for the cases of stranger stalking. I thank my

:15:23. > :15:29.honourable friend for Cheltenham for his work on this terrible crime. I

:15:30. > :15:34.have shared this experience of being stalked in my former career. It was

:15:35. > :15:38.a personal experience which I shared with my honourable friend from

:15:39. > :15:44.Cheltenham in regard to this issue. The confusion that affected me in

:15:45. > :15:49.regard to the Data Protection Act, that it was safer for me to not know

:15:50. > :15:55.the person who was stalking me because of the Data Protection Act

:15:56. > :15:59.was a terrible personal experience. The summary of the responses was

:16:00. > :16:06.published yesterday and within this publication, there is an astonishing

:16:07. > :16:08.figure. 20% of respondents stressed that there has been a lack of

:16:09. > :16:14.understanding of stalking amongst professionals, including the police

:16:15. > :16:18.and sadly, continued failure to take it seriously. Interestingly, it

:16:19. > :16:21.appears that the consultation responses are broadly in favour of

:16:22. > :16:27.increasing the strength of law in this area and I would agree. I am

:16:28. > :16:30.pleased that the government has announced that they will be

:16:31. > :16:38.introducing a new civil stalking protection order, which should go

:16:39. > :16:43.some way to strengthen the law. Finally, I would like to touch on

:16:44. > :16:46.the international effort. I would like to congratulate the Secretary

:16:47. > :16:49.of State for International Development for her work in this

:16:50. > :16:54.area. We are contributing ?8 million to the UN trust fund to end violence

:16:55. > :16:58.against women and 35 million to the programme to reduce FGM, and it is

:16:59. > :17:03.having an effect. I had the pleasure of going to the women of the year

:17:04. > :17:08.lunch earlier this year, and one attendee took me to one side and

:17:09. > :17:13.said she applauded my party and our government for tackling FGM. She

:17:14. > :17:19.said our PM has led the way in this matter. She then went on to say we

:17:20. > :17:24.were the only party that realised that we had nothing in it for us, so

:17:25. > :17:30.we were able to go where other people had not dared to tread. I

:17:31. > :17:36.want to say how much she is right about this FGM issue, which has

:17:37. > :17:41.slightly gone off the burner in the last few months. It must come back.

:17:42. > :17:44.It is vital that we get proper prosecutions, does she not agree,

:17:45. > :17:47.and also, the International development agenda equality Bill

:17:48. > :17:53.which is being implemented by the government. I was proud to sit at

:17:54. > :17:56.the women of the year lunch with some really diverse and fantastic

:17:57. > :18:03.ladies from around the country who have done so much positive work, to

:18:04. > :18:07.know that people felt we had gone into an area which had been ignored

:18:08. > :18:13.for so long, so I agree with the honourable member. The contribution

:18:14. > :18:17.of the UK to the women's rights organisation is critical to ensure

:18:18. > :18:21.that there is an international coordinated effort to deal with

:18:22. > :18:24.these crimes. This debate is part of this effort, and I am delighted to

:18:25. > :18:28.contribute to it. The UN International day for the

:18:29. > :18:34.elimination of violence is held on the 25th of November and then there

:18:35. > :18:38.are 16 days of vital activism which highlight these important issues. We

:18:39. > :18:41.have made the UK one of the leading voices in the world, and I am proud

:18:42. > :18:47.to support the government in doing this. Many statistics have been used

:18:48. > :18:52.today to describe the enormous amount of work that needs to be

:18:53. > :18:56.done, but these statistics are more than that. They are mothers,

:18:57. > :19:02.daughters, sisters, nieces, friends and colleagues. To truly end

:19:03. > :19:06.violence against women and girls, we need to make sure there is no part

:19:07. > :19:12.of the world, no part of society or state or lack of a law which allows

:19:13. > :19:20.abuse of women or that the laws are left unused and not being

:19:21. > :19:24.appropriate. We need to crush the human trafficking gangs. We need to

:19:25. > :19:30.strengthen our institutional resolve to fight violence in this country.

:19:31. > :19:33.Madam Deputy Speaker, more needs to be done so that no sister is left

:19:34. > :19:43.behind or even worse, feels that she is left so. Tracy Braeburn. Thank

:19:44. > :19:47.you. I was 20 and the worst thing I could ever imagine happening to me

:19:48. > :19:50.was about to take place. I was going to be one of those very rare

:19:51. > :19:55.statistics of a woman who is attacked by a stranger, not by

:19:56. > :19:58.someone she knows. I was in my second year at university. The man

:19:59. > :20:02.had seen me walk past his car and had waited ahead for me to turn the

:20:03. > :20:18.corner. As I came up against him, or those words of advice your mum

:20:19. > :20:21.gives you, medium where it hurts and then run like hell, they

:20:22. > :20:24.disappeared. I was frozen in fear. As he shoved me to the ground,

:20:25. > :20:27.trying to rape me, I fought back, but I was battered. It was only the

:20:28. > :20:29.community spirited Indian neighbour down the road that saved me from

:20:30. > :20:32.something much worse. I count myself as one of the lucky ones. I had

:20:33. > :20:35.managed to memorise his car number plate and he was caught an hour

:20:36. > :20:38.later. He went to court. Not many do. He pleaded guilty. I didn't have

:20:39. > :20:40.to go through the horrors of a trial. He was sentenced. I didn't

:20:41. > :20:43.have to look over my shoulder, checking if he was following me. He

:20:44. > :20:47.was a stranger. I didn't have to wake up in the same bed as him, go

:20:48. > :20:51.to work with him as my boss. He didn't use a broken bottle to hurt

:20:52. > :20:57.me. He was alone and not with a group of other men. It was only

:20:58. > :21:00.once, and not several times. The point to this story is that even

:21:01. > :21:04.though, on the scale of violence against women, I was lucky because

:21:05. > :21:08.justice was done, the following few years were hard. I got afraid

:21:09. > :21:13.walking alone, so I bought a bike. I got scared in the night. I slept

:21:14. > :21:19.with a knife. I was easily startled and cried at the drop of a hat. But

:21:20. > :21:23.again, I was lucky. I didn't have a job to keep down, children to care

:21:24. > :21:27.for, elderly relatives to see too. I could work my way through the impact

:21:28. > :21:34.of this violent assault at my own speed and in my own space. A new

:21:35. > :21:39.investigation recognises the violence against women is a global

:21:40. > :21:44.health emergency, an emergency that has impact on the GDP of a country.

:21:45. > :21:48.After a woman experiences violence like I did, the hours, days and

:21:49. > :21:52.weeks a community and family have to spend taking care of an affected

:21:53. > :21:59.woman has a quantifiable financial impact on her community through the

:22:00. > :22:04.loss of her unseen caring responsibilities and work

:22:05. > :22:07.contributions. Of course, as I said at the beginning, there are all

:22:08. > :22:12.sorts of versions of violence against women - domestic abuse,

:22:13. > :22:16.sexual assault, child abuse, actual bodily harm, murder. Every assault

:22:17. > :22:20.is different. Some are one-offs like mine. For others, violence is a

:22:21. > :22:26.regular and painful part of the fabric of their lives. At least one

:22:27. > :22:30.in four women experienced domestic violence in their lifetime. On

:22:31. > :22:36.average, a woman is assaulted 35 times before her first call to the

:22:37. > :22:43.police. The police receive one domestic violence call every minute

:22:44. > :22:48.in the UK. That is one woman every minute who has probably been hurt 35

:22:49. > :22:52.times before having the courage to ring the police. Sadly, domestic

:22:53. > :22:59.violence can often end in the death of that woman. As by honourable

:23:00. > :23:03.friend has pointed out, 936 women were killed by men in England and

:23:04. > :23:12.Wales over a six-year period. That is one every few days. -- one every

:23:13. > :23:15.three days. So statistically, we can see violence against women is

:23:16. > :23:20.happening in large numbers and in some instances, it can be predicted.

:23:21. > :23:24.The chief executive of Women's Aid said the killing of a woman,

:23:25. > :23:30.especially when the woman is killed by an abusive partner or ex-partner,

:23:31. > :23:33.is often reported as an isolated incident. But there is an abject

:23:34. > :23:37.failure to look at the patterns of behaviour. It is as if we accept

:23:38. > :23:43.fatal male violence has an inevitability, not a conscious

:23:44. > :23:48.choice that a man has made to end a woman's life, that these killings

:23:49. > :23:52.are not isolated incidents. Too many follow a similar pattern of violence

:23:53. > :23:57.that make them premeditated. Many are committed in similar settings.

:23:58. > :24:02.Similar weapons are used. Similar relationships exist between the

:24:03. > :24:07.perpetrators and victims. So we need joined up thinking on this issue. We

:24:08. > :24:12.need to educate young men on consent and respect for women, empower women

:24:13. > :24:18.who are suffering domestic abuse to leave, offering them a safe place to

:24:19. > :24:21.go, refuse to accept online abuse. I applaud the minister's work on

:24:22. > :24:25.making stalking a crime, either online or in person. We must support

:24:26. > :24:31.the organisations that work with women and girls who have experienced

:24:32. > :24:34.violence, giving them time and the resources they need, encourage women

:24:35. > :24:41.to speak out and get help. But of course, a victim of abuse does not

:24:42. > :24:48.fit any stereotype. In my previous industry, an industry famous for

:24:49. > :24:51.tales of the casting couch, 65%, nearly three quarters of women media

:24:52. > :24:56.workers have experienced intimidation, threats and abuse. In

:24:57. > :25:00.fact, the International Federation of journalists has said that

:25:01. > :25:05.violence against women remains one of the most widespread and tolerated

:25:06. > :25:10.violations of human rights, and its perpetrators continue to enjoy

:25:11. > :25:13.impunity while the victims face losing their job, having their

:25:14. > :25:18.careers ruined or worst all, being killed. And it doesn't matter how

:25:19. > :25:23.famous you are or how big your public profile. This week, Lady Gaga

:25:24. > :25:27.admitted she suffered from PTSD after being raped at 19. The actress

:25:28. > :25:31.in last Tango in Paris, Maria Schneider, said the intimacy with

:25:32. > :25:34.the butter was not consensual and that it was an assault, but because

:25:35. > :25:39.it was in front of cameras, she had to suck it up is all in a day's

:25:40. > :25:45.work. Oprah Winfrey has been open about having been raped at age nine.

:25:46. > :25:50.We know about these cases because the survivors are in the public eye

:25:51. > :25:56.but what about the millions who suffer in silence? Are the

:25:57. > :26:00.statistics in a newspaper, and awful inevitability or someone's daughter,

:26:01. > :26:02.some on's Mum? Something we should do everything to protect them. It

:26:03. > :26:07.in that spirit that I urge the party in that spirit that I urge the party

:26:08. > :26:12.opposite to stand up and take action, to ratify the Istanbul

:26:13. > :26:16.convention to prevent violence against women, protect its victims

:26:17. > :26:26.and prosecute the perpetrators. Thank you. Violence against women

:26:27. > :26:31.and girls is an abomination. That does not require a statement but I

:26:32. > :26:35.am enormously proud that it is this Parliament that is today noting the

:26:36. > :26:39.UN and its national day for the elimination against violence against

:26:40. > :26:44.women. I am hugely proud to be to witness the most powerful, eloquent

:26:45. > :26:49.and articulate contributions have been made this morning, particularly

:26:50. > :26:56.the representations from the honourable member for Edinburgh

:26:57. > :27:02.West. It is a matter of great pride that it is members in this House who

:27:03. > :27:09.speaks powerfully. I want to say I the words about stalking which is a

:27:10. > :27:12.matter that has been mentioned. Progress has been made in recent

:27:13. > :27:18.there is one piece of the jigsaw there is one piece of the jigsaw

:27:19. > :27:22.which does need to be inserted. A few words, it is a horrible,

:27:23. > :27:26.violating crime, it rips relationships apart, destroys

:27:27. > :27:28.careers, can create lasting mental harm and it is the gateway often too

:27:29. > :27:36.serious violence. In the Telegraph serious violence. In the Telegraph

:27:37. > :27:39.this week, victims can be commented for years, victims can be left to

:27:40. > :27:44.afraid to leave the home and the point about it is no respect of fame

:27:45. > :27:50.or fortune, so we hear the cases of Lily Allen, Keira Knightley but it

:27:51. > :27:54.is ordinary men and women are particularly women who can be

:27:55. > :27:57.targeted and the Home Secretary in her article referred to Doctor is

:27:58. > :28:04.being targeted by patients. She may have had my constituent when she

:28:05. > :28:08.said so. I will not go through the detail of the ordeal she is that

:28:09. > :28:12.otherwise to say this. He went over seven years, her patient turned up

:28:13. > :28:17.the surgery over 100 times, found items posted to the letter box,

:28:18. > :28:20.tyres, appeared that her children's tyres, appeared that her children's

:28:21. > :28:27.that her children's birthday party. The defendant in her case is served

:28:28. > :28:32.a short prison sentence. Having served his sentence, he restarted

:28:33. > :28:35.his campaign, so she'd started to receive packages at her surgery and

:28:36. > :28:42.that her home in Cheltenham. One of the packages simply red guess who

:28:43. > :28:46.was back? And when he was arrested again, a search on his computer

:28:47. > :28:50.revealed the inquiry how long does a person out they disappeared they are

:28:51. > :28:56.is assumed that? The effect was profound, depleted by the to change

:28:57. > :28:59.her name, and move address, change had name. She's the victim in of

:29:00. > :29:06.this and she developed post-traumatic stress disorder. I

:29:07. > :29:11.strongly welcomed the Government's response to recognise this as an

:29:12. > :29:16.offence in 2012, and secondly, very recently, to have this new

:29:17. > :29:19.with the stalking protection orders with the stalking protection orders

:29:20. > :29:23.which can carry a jail sentence of up to five years. Really positive,

:29:24. > :29:31.enables police to us cause to rinse both rejections, to restrict access

:29:32. > :29:36.to the Internet,. They have to be seen in the proper context. The

:29:37. > :29:39.truth is, all they are is orders full stop what is in order? It is a

:29:40. > :29:43.requirement from someone in authority that the person should

:29:44. > :29:47.alter their behaviour. Important as they are, the sad fact is that those

:29:48. > :29:48.who perpetrate this kind of activity show themselves unwilling or

:29:49. > :29:53.to observe Andries respect authority to observe Andries respect authority

:29:54. > :29:55.because they are people who don't baby quite word from

:29:56. > :30:01.neighbourhood PCSO. The letter from neighbourhood PCSO. The letter from

:30:02. > :30:04.the local station. The formal harassment warning, the civil

:30:05. > :30:09.injection and so on. Whilst these orders are welcome and they may

:30:10. > :30:18.serve to make some sessions in the bud, they are unlikely to... I would

:30:19. > :30:22.suggest that those most serious cases where the lives are made a

:30:23. > :30:26.living hell, where they live in constant fear, we need to give

:30:27. > :30:30.because the powers they need to protect victims. And that means

:30:31. > :30:35.treating stalking as a serious crime, not a minor offence. Because

:30:36. > :30:39.the reality is, that where a stalker pleads guilty for the most serious

:30:40. > :30:43.imaginable offence and that could be a repeat offence, the maximum he, it

:30:44. > :30:51.is usually a he, can end up serving is usually a he, can end up serving

:30:52. > :30:54.is just 20 months. I just take my constituent's is, the judge in that

:30:55. > :31:01.case said, he did not have the tools he needed, when he was passing

:31:02. > :31:04.sentence, his honour said to the defendant, I have no doubt at all

:31:05. > :31:09.that you are dangers in the sense that you pose a significant risk to

:31:10. > :31:13.her, the victim, in future in terms of causing her serious harm. When

:31:14. > :31:16.she stated that the maximum sentence is five years, I would if I could

:31:17. > :31:22.give you longer. There lies the problem. It is in the most serious

:31:23. > :31:27.cases, it is only when the stalker is in custody that the victim can

:31:28. > :31:33.feel free. Free to rebuild shattered lives, free to rebuild careers,

:31:34. > :31:37.health. No one is suggesting, least health. No one is suggesting, least

:31:38. > :31:40.of all me, that in all cases, we should be locking people up and

:31:41. > :31:42.throwing away the key. No one is suggesting that people should be

:31:43. > :31:45.denied mental health treatment, none denied mental health treatment, none

:31:46. > :31:49.of the above. But what we are saying, or what I am saying, is that

:31:50. > :31:53.in those most serious cases will be no stalking can be a gateway to

:31:54. > :31:56.serious violence is our absolute priority must be to protect victims

:31:57. > :32:02.and in the most serious cases, that must mean a sentence which is with

:32:03. > :32:05.the gravity of the offence. In due course, I will be inviting the

:32:06. > :32:08.Government to extend the sentencing. In because it is only by doing so

:32:09. > :32:15.that we can truly protect victims of this horrible crime.

:32:16. > :32:20.Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. Can I start by commending honourable

:32:21. > :32:25.friends and colleagues for their friends and colleagues for their

:32:26. > :32:33.incredibly powerful contributions and may I also congratulate the

:32:34. > :32:43.honourable members, there's quite a few of them? Brighton Pavilion and

:32:44. > :32:46.Basingstoke, etc, the supporting this backbench business debate. It

:32:47. > :32:49.is necessary that we have this debate on the floor of this House

:32:50. > :33:00.and it is not without the contributions of the honourable

:33:01. > :33:07.members that we are able to give a voice to these important matters.

:33:08. > :33:10.The UN initiative by the International Day of elimination

:33:11. > :33:18.against women serve to remind us of some of the worst human rights abuse

:33:19. > :33:28.imaginable. Violence against women business across the globe --

:33:29. > :33:34.persists. Women's rights are human rights. Though large strides have

:33:35. > :33:39.been made in recent years, as we are broadly heard today, there is still

:33:40. > :33:46.a long way to go. More than 20 years ago, after the UN General Assembly

:33:47. > :33:51.declaration on the elimination of violence against women, one in three

:33:52. > :33:54.women still express physical or sexual violence, mostly by an

:33:55. > :33:57.intimate partner. Violence against women encompasses a wide range of

:33:58. > :34:04.beers including domestic violence, sexual violence, honour killings,

:34:05. > :34:10.trafficking, female genital mutilation. These are abhorrent acts

:34:11. > :34:17.and we all have a part to play in eradication. In the words of the UN

:34:18. > :34:21.Secretary General, break the silence, when you witness violence

:34:22. > :34:27.against women and girls, do not sit back. Act. Today are amassing the

:34:28. > :34:35.Government to follow command and to act, we are in the middle of

:34:36. > :34:36.campaigns, 16 days of actors against gender-based violence which is

:34:37. > :34:40.taking place from the 25th of taking place from the 25th of

:34:41. > :34:48.November until the 10th of December. I will give way. The 16 days are

:34:49. > :34:52.marked by all kinds of activity across the country and indeed

:34:53. > :34:57.increasingly around the world and my constituency, the Maryhill women's

:34:58. > :35:00.centre, which does incredible work supporting women from all walks of

:35:01. > :35:09.light, especially those affected by gender-based violence, have a series

:35:10. > :35:14.of events. I welcome every single aspect across the UK to eradicate

:35:15. > :35:18.violence and to raise awareness of this important subject. This year's

:35:19. > :35:22.theme of Unite 16 days of action seeks to raise fun Justice in the

:35:23. > :35:30.21st Century on Innovative Approaches for the Criminal Justice

:35:31. > :35:35.System funds -- funds. In tightening budgets, they do or that they cant

:35:36. > :35:39.arrays this awareness. Frameworks such as the 23rd the agenda of the

:35:40. > :35:43.sustainable development which include specific targets on ending

:35:44. > :35:46.violence against women need adequate funding if they are to result in

:35:47. > :35:54.significant change. This new global development agenda and aims to

:35:55. > :35:58.achieve gender parity and empower achieve gender parity and empower

:35:59. > :36:05.all women and girls. The project are taking place worldwide working in

:36:06. > :36:11.Kenya and the dramatic Republic of Congo to work with doctors, nurses,

:36:12. > :36:13.police, lawyers and judges to enhance justice for survivors of

:36:14. > :36:20.sexual violence. UN women are sexual violence. UN women are

:36:21. > :36:24.working in Ethiopic, Jordan to develop essential help and legal

:36:25. > :36:30.services for women subjected to violence. However, funding and

:36:31. > :36:45.-- closer to home. Can I commend my -- closer to home. Can I commend my

:36:46. > :36:52.friend for their work? Her work over many years of the matter

:36:53. > :36:58.gender-based violence. And to support her bill next week and as

:36:59. > :37:01.the Government to ratify the Istanbul convention? And I seek to

:37:02. > :37:05.remind all honourable member that Article one states that the purpose

:37:06. > :37:10.of the Istanbul convention is to prevent prosecute and eliminate

:37:11. > :37:20.domestic violence against women and violence. In law and in practice.

:37:21. > :37:24.Can I also take this opportunity to commend the work of Doctor Marshall

:37:25. > :37:28.all these staff at my own Women's all these staff at my own Women's

:37:29. > :37:35.Aid for the work that they do each and every day. Turning to the

:37:36. > :37:42.domestic sphere, the child maintenance service, the UK

:37:43. > :37:45.Government could be argued placer survivors of violence at risk

:37:46. > :37:47.through the operation of the child maintenance service. The service

:37:48. > :37:51.operates on the basis whereby the operates on the basis whereby the

:37:52. > :37:56.parent caring for children is either charge a 4% collection fee for using

:37:57. > :37:57.the service. This amounts to an additional tax on the

:37:58. > :38:04.yourself the domestic violence will yourself the domestic violence will

:38:05. > :38:07.stop there as an alternative to this tax however the caring pants can

:38:08. > :38:10.avoid this child maintenance tax by giving their bank details to the

:38:11. > :38:14.other parent directly in what is known as a family -based

:38:15. > :38:17.arrangement. I have heard from constituents who are survivors of

:38:18. > :38:20.domestic violence and who are too frightened to establish a family

:38:21. > :38:24.-based arrangement due to the legitimate fear that their abuser

:38:25. > :38:29.will be able to access their personal details, where they have

:38:30. > :38:34.moved to a place as the sea, to relocate themselves for fear that

:38:35. > :38:39.their life is in danger. What must the Government do to resolve this

:38:40. > :38:44.matter and give consideration to those women who have fled situations

:38:45. > :38:47.of domestic violence in certain circumstances and are often pushed

:38:48. > :38:52.into poverty, having to flee their abuser? An additional 4% tax placed

:38:53. > :38:56.on them could be removed by the Government and could be issued with

:38:57. > :39:02.clear guidance on the ways in which women can access this removal of

:39:03. > :39:06.this tax and clarity on the order required to make sure they are

:39:07. > :39:09.eligible for this. You should not be an arduous process and ensure the

:39:10. > :39:12.Government would seek to amend this to ensure that this does not create

:39:13. > :39:17.issues. It is all very well for the Government to encourage friends who

:39:18. > :39:20.are separated amicably to set up their own arrangement for paying

:39:21. > :39:25.child support as a cost saving exercise. However, and maintenance

:39:26. > :39:28.is not a feasible option for is not a feasible option for

:39:29. > :39:33.domestic abuse survivors will stop child-support payments are often

:39:34. > :39:36.state an up into life there are state an up into life there are

:39:37. > :39:40.children. So to charge these children. So to charge these

:39:41. > :39:45.individuals put their lives at risk. And survivors and their children and

:39:46. > :39:49.I hope the Minister will seek to address this issue and make a real

:39:50. > :39:52.commitment to these women who are trying to put their lives back

:39:53. > :39:58.together and to give their children a safe and happy childhood. In

:39:59. > :40:02.Scotland, we are committed to tackling domestic violence and it is

:40:03. > :40:05.the priority of the Scottish Government. And while I recognise

:40:06. > :40:09.that the Scottish Government's commitment to doing so in

:40:10. > :40:13.legislation and the law is far ahead of the rest of the UK, I'm sure that

:40:14. > :40:18.the UK Government will commit to following in the steps of the

:40:19. > :40:21.Scottish Government. As indicated, the Scottish team at bringing

:40:22. > :40:29.forward a bill to greater specific offence of domestic abuse, this will

:40:30. > :40:33.not only cover physical abuse but so could -- psychological and coercive

:40:34. > :40:39.behaviour. This law will cover male and female perpetrators, however, as

:40:40. > :40:47.figures show, often more women are the victim of violence.

:40:48. > :40:51.This will not only act as a deterrent, but will make clear that

:40:52. > :40:59.these behaviours are socially unacceptable. Today, this government

:41:00. > :41:05.has a chance to make a statement and commit to ratify the Istanbul

:41:06. > :41:09.convention. Or indeed, next week, in response to my honourable friend.

:41:10. > :41:13.This government has taken an approach to child maintenance which

:41:14. > :41:18.is ethically dubious and practically dangerous and it must be addressed.

:41:19. > :41:24.The systematic violence that exists in relationships must be tackled

:41:25. > :41:28.appropriately, addressing the serious issue that exists with the

:41:29. > :41:33.child maintenance service places on survivors of domestic violence. Mr

:41:34. > :41:40.Deputy Speaker, every little girl deserves to grow up feeling safe,

:41:41. > :41:45.free from online abuse, stalking, violence, rape, sexual assault or

:41:46. > :41:56.fear of being killed. These are criminal offences. Every little girl

:41:57. > :42:01.deserves to grow up feeling safe. Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. I want

:42:02. > :42:08.to give massive credit to the members of this House who have told

:42:09. > :42:13.their own personal stories. It is really powerful to show the victims

:42:14. > :42:16.of domestic violence, sexual violence, for so many people, they

:42:17. > :42:21.look like somebody else. They look like other, when in fact, they are

:42:22. > :42:26.all of us. They are everybody. They are living on our streets. We sit

:42:27. > :42:30.next to them at work. We talk to them on the school run, they are

:42:31. > :42:36.everywhere. I pay huge tribute to those who have done that today, the

:42:37. > :42:40.memorable women in here were certainly resonate with people out

:42:41. > :42:44.there. Last week, I dealt with a very upset mother on the phone whose

:42:45. > :42:48.daughter had, while she was at school, had to deal with two boys in

:42:49. > :42:53.the De Laet Kuyt throwing insults at each other about how they had had

:42:54. > :42:57.sex with her -- two boys in the dinner queue. These children were

:42:58. > :43:03.nine years old. When she spoke to her daughter about the incident, she

:43:04. > :43:07.said the little girl said she felt ashamed. She thought she had done

:43:08. > :43:11.something wrong, and that was why the boys were saying this about her.

:43:12. > :43:16.And so begins the life of another young girl who thinks she is to

:43:17. > :43:20.blame for the misogyny she faces and will probably face for the rest of

:43:21. > :43:26.her life. This is the example I heard last week during the inquiry

:43:27. > :43:29.into sexual harassment in schools undertaken by the women and equality

:43:30. > :43:34.is select committee. We heard a huge amount of similar evidence, and it

:43:35. > :43:38.felt like lifting a huge rock up a problem that has existed for too

:43:39. > :43:42.long and is holding both young girls and young boys back. In my time

:43:43. > :43:46.working with local schools in partnership with Women's Aid, I

:43:47. > :43:51.heard hundreds of stories girls who were harassed, assaulted, raped and

:43:52. > :44:00.sexually exploited, all before they were 16. This debate has shown that

:44:01. > :44:06.every woman in this building has a tale to tell about being a teenager

:44:07. > :44:10.and having boys or men groping them, trying to lift up their skirts,

:44:11. > :44:16.talking about having sex with them and scaring them. When I told my

:44:17. > :44:19.11-year-old son, who has just started secondary school, about what

:44:20. > :44:25.happened to the little girl, he shrugged and said, I hear that stuff

:44:26. > :44:28.all the time, ma'am. When I look at the government's response to the

:44:29. > :44:33.government select committee's report, I am left exasperated. As a

:44:34. > :44:38.parent, I am worried. Shall I sit with my son and that little girl in

:44:39. > :44:41.question and say, don't worry, there is cross government support for

:44:42. > :44:50.prioritising work to make significant progress in this area?

:44:51. > :44:54.Just after I was elected, I went to speak at a conference in Birmingham

:44:55. > :44:59.on tackling violence against women and girls. The room was filled with

:45:00. > :45:03.police officers, children's social workers, housing managers, doctors,

:45:04. > :45:07.nurses, teachers and charities, all specialists in their field. I asked

:45:08. > :45:10.them to raise their hands if they thought the single biggest change in

:45:11. > :45:15.prevention of violence and abuse of young women was to make sex and

:45:16. > :45:21.relationship and consent education mandatory in our schools. Every

:45:22. > :45:28.single person raised their hand. Year after year, this house has been

:45:29. > :45:30.given a chance to pass this much-needed law. Obviously, the

:45:31. > :45:37.government was a little ahead of its time in refusing to listen to

:45:38. > :45:41.experts, as every time it has been before this House, this House has

:45:42. > :45:48.failed to pass it. I want to know why. I want the minister, who I know

:45:49. > :45:53.cares deeply about this, in front of me, to put down the red folders,

:45:54. > :45:57.throw away the notes, threw caution to the wind. I have made a career

:45:58. > :46:03.out of it! And tell me honestly why this is. We were always led to

:46:04. > :46:09.believe by whispers that somebody at Number Ten was stopping it in the

:46:10. > :46:10.days of David Cameron. We in the violence against women and girls

:46:11. > :46:14.sector were constantly assured by sector were constantly assured by

:46:15. > :46:23.people in the them Home Office that the then Home Secretary agreed with

:46:24. > :46:30.us. While she is in Number Ten now and still, some sort of conservatism

:46:31. > :46:34.with a small C stands in the way of what 90% of parents want for their

:46:35. > :46:37.children and 100% of experts know would make the difference. I don't

:46:38. > :46:41.want to hear that we are looking into this, that we support calls,

:46:42. > :46:44.that we are taking firm action. I don't want to be pointed to another

:46:45. > :46:47.strategy document that proves nothing more than our ability to

:46:48. > :46:52.write strategy documents. I have been hearing it for years, and now I

:46:53. > :46:58.want a real answer as to why this law has not passed. I know all

:46:59. > :47:01.across this House, in every party, there is support for this. We must

:47:02. > :47:04.act and start having open conversations with our children

:47:05. > :47:09.about gendered attitudes that lead to the harassment of girls and young

:47:10. > :47:16.women and the demonisation of boys and young men. Will my honourable

:47:17. > :47:19.friend give way? I thank her. She's making a powerful speech and I agree

:47:20. > :47:24.with every word. Like my honourable friend, I have spent my life for

:47:25. > :47:29.becoming an MP in the domestic violence and sexual violence world.

:47:30. > :47:34.Would she agree that we need to have proper, well integrated programmes

:47:35. > :47:37.of high quality as well as sex and relationships education? Wanders

:47:38. > :47:40.prevention, the other, when things don't work out, tries to make things

:47:41. > :47:45.better. But they must be of a high standard. Will she also join me in

:47:46. > :47:48.calling for the Istanbul Convention to be ratified by this country and

:47:49. > :47:55.for all members of this House to be in the House a week tomorrow to do

:47:56. > :47:59.that? I thank her for the intervention and of course, I agree

:48:00. > :48:00.with every word. It is important to stress that while the select

:48:01. > :48:06.committee was hearing evidence, we had some amazing evidence from some

:48:07. > :48:13.brilliant organisations who are working specifically with men and

:48:14. > :48:17.boys in this space, and they showed how much could be done. And if we do

:48:18. > :48:20.not focus on the attitudes of men who commit violence and boys who

:48:21. > :48:24.will become those men who commit violence, we will be letting the

:48:25. > :48:32.side down. But I would stress that I have seen bad practice in this space

:48:33. > :48:38.of perpetrator work, and local commissioning of this must be done

:48:39. > :48:42.by experts in the field. The organisation that my honourable

:48:43. > :48:45.friend worked for were exactly that. We are here to speak about the

:48:46. > :48:49.elimination of violence, not cleaning up afterwards. Prevention

:48:50. > :48:54.and culture change have got to be the thing that means when I stand

:48:55. > :48:59.and read the names of women murdered at the hands of violent men every

:49:00. > :49:03.year, that each and every year, that list will grow shorter. The

:49:04. > :49:09.ministers in front of me have the power to reduce that list, and I

:49:10. > :49:14.will sing their praises if they do. I am telling them now that talking

:49:15. > :49:21.to our children about consent, gendered attitudes and respect is

:49:22. > :49:26.the best place to start. If I am honoured to follow the honourable

:49:27. > :49:30.member for Birmingham Yardley, who makes a very powerful speech and

:49:31. > :49:33.clearly has much experience in this area. I would also like to thank the

:49:34. > :49:36.backbench business committee for backbench business committee for

:49:37. > :49:43.granting this debate, which everyone agrees is an important subject. It

:49:44. > :49:48.was once regarded as a taboo, as was referred to by the honourable member

:49:49. > :49:54.so powerfully from Edinburgh West. A deeply moving speech, that I think

:49:55. > :50:01.will help move this cause forward. So I really give applause for that.

:50:02. > :50:05.But the very fact that we are holding this debate does show how

:50:06. > :50:10.the taboo is changing. So isn't it great that we are able to discuss

:50:11. > :50:15.these things? I think with the lead of a Prime Minister who is utterly

:50:16. > :50:20.committed to change in this area and with the cross-party consensus,

:50:21. > :50:27.further progress can be made. Violence against women and girls can

:50:28. > :50:31.have devastating impacts, as we have heard, not only on the lives of the

:50:32. > :50:34.victims, but also on the families and those close to them. And has

:50:35. > :50:38.enormous effects for the criminal justice system, the health service.

:50:39. > :50:41.It puts a strain on local authorities and police services, who

:50:42. > :50:46.all have to deal with these issues on the ground. My own Avon and

:50:47. > :50:51.Somerset Police report that this is one of the biggest growing sectors

:50:52. > :50:55.that they now have to deal with. But often, it is the local charities and

:50:56. > :50:59.organisations who support women and girls who have been victims of

:51:00. > :51:03.violence who have done so much excellent work. I want to commend

:51:04. > :51:06.some of the charities in my own constituency of Taunton Deane.

:51:07. > :51:10.Taunton's Women's Aid does excellent work with the local community, not

:51:11. > :51:18.only offering practical support, with its drop-in sessions, and that

:51:19. > :51:25.is for women and men. They are also working with other charities to

:51:26. > :51:29.develop workshops for schools. Many colleagues have referred to the

:51:30. > :51:34.importance of education. They talk about domestic abuse and mental

:51:35. > :51:37.health issues. There is another fine Taunton -based charity that works in

:51:38. > :51:45.this area, called stand against violence. They go into schools to

:51:46. > :51:49.run these workshops, focusing on personal safety, anger and

:51:50. > :51:53.aggression, basic life support and the awareness of choices and

:51:54. > :51:59.consequences. I know the gentleman that runs this organisation set it

:52:00. > :52:03.up because his brother was tragically set upon by a group of

:52:04. > :52:13.young people. He was only a teenager, and he was murdered. And

:52:14. > :52:20.out of that, he spawned this charity which goes to schools to talk about

:52:21. > :52:24.how we can't operate and lead our lives in these ways. It is important

:52:25. > :52:27.to get across these messages, particularly to the opposite sex,

:52:28. > :52:35.about controlling abuse and aggression. In condiment in these,

:52:36. > :52:40.we do have Taunton Deane borough council and Somerset county counsel

:52:41. > :52:45.both offering services to support women who have been victims of

:52:46. > :52:53.violence. And there are some housing associations doing excellent work.

:52:54. > :52:56.An association that operates across the South West runs a demented abuse

:52:57. > :53:03.service which they started in 2015, and they offer a 24/7 helpline -- a

:53:04. > :53:10.domestic abuse service. They provide emergency accommodation, and it is a

:53:11. > :53:13.particularly good model. It operates in conjunction with the county

:53:14. > :53:17.council and is moving towards an integrated service as part of the

:53:18. > :53:23.ground-breaking Somerset integrated domestic abuse services. This is

:53:24. > :53:30.perhaps the kind of model that we should be encouraging others to

:53:31. > :53:36.follow. Whilst so much good work is being done locally, I am pleased

:53:37. > :53:40.that it is backed up by government commitment which is providing a

:53:41. > :53:47.sound framework upon which to stimulate this shift which so many

:53:48. > :53:51.colleagues have mentioned. A shift in attitudes is essential. Violence

:53:52. > :53:55.against women and girls, this whole subject area should be everybody's

:53:56. > :54:00.business, not just charities and worthy members of Parliament who

:54:01. > :54:04.stay on to join in the debate. It should be everybody's business. If

:54:05. > :54:11.we can make that clear, we can get it to infiltrate through to people

:54:12. > :54:17.and children we will make a difference. I wanted to mention the

:54:18. > :54:21.violence against women and girls strategy published in March 2000 and

:54:22. > :54:26.16. That has been allocated ?80 million of funding, and that is

:54:27. > :54:31.bringing together the significant advances in legislation which a

:54:32. > :54:36.number of colleagues have mentioned, including specific offences related

:54:37. > :54:43.to stalking. I welcome the new stalking civil protection order, the

:54:44. > :54:47.coercive and controlling behaviour legislation and I am a great archers

:54:48. > :54:48.fan, and I do think that the storyline in the archers really has

:54:49. > :55:02.helped raise awareness of this area. It was not something I was aware of

:55:03. > :55:16.and it was utterly shocking. Almost along the legislation, Elliott to

:55:17. > :55:27.protect against e-mail generally -- FGM. With 1.3 million women a year

:55:28. > :55:32.still expressing domestic abuse and 400,000 sexual assault in the last

:55:33. > :55:38.year, there really is still much to do. I also would like to welcome the

:55:39. > :55:43.Government's continued four bridge where they are bringing together

:55:44. > :55:45.prevention, of services and working and pursuing perpetrators. I think

:55:46. > :55:51.this is definitely the way forward. this is definitely the way forward.

:55:52. > :55:54.It has been in it is starting to work and actually although I have

:55:55. > :55:57.just giving some shocking statistics, the crime survey of

:55:58. > :56:01.England and Wales does show that the number of women who expressed

:56:02. > :56:04.domestic abuse in the last year was the lowest since the survey began

:56:05. > :56:09.which is is very welcome news indeed. And prosecuted and

:56:10. > :56:15.convictions are up so perhaps we are moving in the right direction. I

:56:16. > :56:17.just wanted to round up by giving a special mention of the ?15

:56:18. > :56:20.for the Government launch of the for the Government launch of the

:56:21. > :56:27.three-year violence against women and girls service transformation

:56:28. > :56:31.fund. This is to aid and facilitate best practice, perhaps the example I

:56:32. > :56:36.gave earlier my speech would be a good model. This is actually on top

:56:37. > :56:41.of the 20 million that is available for accommodation base services

:56:42. > :56:45.which was announced by the CLT. This new fund, the transformation fund is

:56:46. > :56:50.open by commissioners working in partnership, the with specialist

:56:51. > :56:55.groups, crime commissioners, local authorities, health groups, I would

:56:56. > :57:00.encourage all those groups to get together, perhaps members could get

:57:01. > :57:06.a bun round tables and get people together to formulate some ideas to

:57:07. > :57:10.get some bids to bid into this fund because it is therefore people to

:57:11. > :57:16.take advantage of an IQ it. As I said earlier, I welcome the lead the

:57:17. > :57:20.Government is taking on this, particularly our Prime Minister. It

:57:21. > :57:25.is serious issue, there's a lot more to do and it is essential that we do

:57:26. > :57:32.all work together to banish the prospect that any women should live

:57:33. > :57:36.in fear of violence and we need to allow every daughter, every girl, I

:57:37. > :57:43.up in the knowledge and the sense up in the knowledge and the sense

:57:44. > :57:48.that she's growing up safe. Thank you, it is a pleasure to

:57:49. > :57:53.follow the honourable member. I would also like to thank my

:57:54. > :57:56.honourable friend the members for bringing this debate to the House

:57:57. > :58:06.and for speaking so powerfully and we have heard the brilliant speeches

:58:07. > :58:11.and I do want to commend the member for Edinburgh West for sharing their

:58:12. > :58:13.personal experience and I think we have all listened and learned a lot

:58:14. > :58:18.from that and hopefully it will have from that and hopefully it will have

:58:19. > :58:22.a wider impact. In my speech, I just want to touch on some international

:58:23. > :58:29.issues, just a couple of months ago, I had the privilege of visiting

:58:30. > :58:34.Sierra Leone. It was quite humbling to see this country struggling,

:58:35. > :58:43.trying to recover from the effects of the bowler at epidemic that took

:58:44. > :58:56.11,000 lives. -- Ebola. Sierra Leone decided to ban the procedure as FGM.

:58:57. > :59:03.Sadly the ban on FGM has now been listed. Women in Sierra Leone are

:59:04. > :59:13.being oppressed by FGM. It has been a long and agent practice in the

:59:14. > :59:19.area Leone culture. It is reported by the World Health Organisation

:59:20. > :59:32.that 80% of girls there have been cut, to use the commonly used

:59:33. > :59:35.description of this practice. Culturally, the procedure is alleged

:59:36. > :59:39.to protect communities against wayward and he would very much evil

:59:40. > :59:43.spirits and should be seen as the final passage from adolescence to

:59:44. > :59:48.womanhood. But in reality, it is imposed upon girls by MH article

:59:49. > :59:52.society, forcing the younger members of the community to join their

:59:53. > :59:58.faction and structure of society which then internal controls women

:59:59. > :00:00.and becomes a vicious circle where the tradition, if I might refer to

:00:01. > :00:07.it as that of FGM, is passed onto it as that of FGM, is passed onto

:00:08. > :00:12.next generation. Whilst I was in Sierra Leone, we visited the

:00:13. > :00:14.parliament and spoke to MPs. Europe that time were considering a law to

:00:15. > :00:16.ban FGM below the age of 18. And ban FGM below the age of 18.

:00:17. > :00:22.introducing a requirement for introducing a requirement for

:00:23. > :00:25.consent to be given. In reality, it would be very difficult to prove

:00:26. > :00:33.that consent had been given, especially in the isolated villages

:00:34. > :00:35.and towns. However, it has to be welcomed as a very, very small step

:00:36. > :00:40.in the right direction but there is in the right direction but there is

:00:41. > :00:48.an enormously long way to go before this vile practice is banned

:00:49. > :00:52.outright and internationally. I thank you for way. Can I add to

:00:53. > :00:58.that, does she also accept that here in the UK, young girls during what

:00:59. > :01:01.is known as cutting season, are taking to the home countries to

:01:02. > :01:10.expect FGM and then returned to the UK and that practice must be stopped

:01:11. > :01:14.also? -- experienced FGM. Sadly, I am all too well aware of that

:01:15. > :01:18.practice. I am sure she has constituents that come to her with

:01:19. > :01:23.the issue and I have been contacted also by church groups, about

:01:24. > :01:26.families that they are trying to protect and I think are very much

:01:27. > :01:35.for that very important intervention. -- I thank her very

:01:36. > :01:38.much. When the legislation process does enshrine protection against

:01:39. > :01:42.violence towards women, the journey does not end there with legislation,

:01:43. > :01:48.the legislation is just the beginning and Afghanistan epitomises

:01:49. > :01:58.this struggle. In 2009, women's rights activists that sleep with

:01:59. > :02:02.Iraq -- successfully bought which put into the constitution this

:02:03. > :02:07.fundamental right to protect its e-mail citizens. But since then, the

:02:08. > :02:12.situation has systematically deteriorated. In 2013, the special

:02:13. > :02:20.representative of the UN Secretary General in Afghanistan to the UN

:02:21. > :02:26.Security Council that the majority of women killed Islington domestic

:02:27. > :02:31.violence, tradition, culture of the country that women activists have

:02:32. > :02:34.been deliberately targeted. But since the continued withdrawal of

:02:35. > :02:42.British and US troops, the situation has escalated. Amnesty International

:02:43. > :02:46.reported this year and again, I quite, it has been increasingly

:02:47. > :02:49.dangerous over recent years to be a woman in public life in Afghanistan.

:02:50. > :02:55.and helped of women who have been and helped of women who have been

:02:56. > :02:59.brave enough to ignore the risks with the withdrawal of international

:03:00. > :03:02.forces and the deterioration we are seeing in women's rights, there is

:03:03. > :03:08.every reason to fear that these dangers will become even worse in

:03:09. > :03:11.the year ahead. Nearly seven years on, Afghan women are still under

:03:12. > :03:18.serious threat than violence is on the rise. In the first eight months

:03:19. > :03:23.of 2016, the Afghan Attorney General's offers received 3700 cases

:03:24. > :03:30.of violence against women, with 5000 cases recorded in 2015. But rather

:03:31. > :03:35.than deep-rooted historical, religious diktats, newly formed

:03:36. > :03:39.technology leaders have had detrimental affect on women. Women

:03:40. > :03:46.can now not only be victimised in civil society that now has seeped

:03:47. > :03:49.into the virtual sphere and has many honourable members have mentioned,

:03:50. > :03:56.the Internet and in particular social media has fuelled gender

:03:57. > :03:59.violence. Even here in the European Union, one in ten women and teenage

:04:00. > :04:05.girls report having experienced cyber harassment and this includes

:04:06. > :04:07.threats of rape and unsolicited sexually explicit images. In

:04:08. > :04:15.Bangladesh, a group with targeted by Bangladesh, a group with targeted by

:04:16. > :04:19.a militant group due to their posts and the promotion of women's rights.

:04:20. > :04:25.All 80 foot of the group were put on the hit list. One prominent blogger

:04:26. > :04:29.had to leave the country and her family due to the threats on her

:04:30. > :04:33.life and the member of the militant organisation put a bounty on her

:04:34. > :04:39.head. She was granted asylum in Germany earlier this year. But even

:04:40. > :04:44.after escaping to Germany, she was still at risk. A political leader in

:04:45. > :04:47.Bangladesh began collecting money through a crown funding platform to

:04:48. > :04:53.pay for a ticket to Germany so that someone could be, and I quote, sent

:04:54. > :04:57.over to rape her. Now many of us in this House will have received

:04:58. > :05:01.threats online but that did not mean fleeing our country, our home and

:05:02. > :05:05.families. But the tone online in the UK is becoming more and more

:05:06. > :05:14.vigilant and threatening towards women. And only this week the right

:05:15. > :05:21.honourable member had direct online, leading to a man being arrested.

:05:22. > :05:24.Another member had had her house locks changed due to similar

:05:25. > :05:28.circumstances. And again, this week a man has been arrested at the

:05:29. > :05:33.threats were made online against the women who launched a legal challenge

:05:34. > :05:38.against the process of Brexit. And 24-year-old man was found guilty of

:05:39. > :05:43.racially aggravated harassment of the honourable member the Liverpool

:05:44. > :05:47.way to treat just this week. The statistics and stories we have heard

:05:48. > :05:50.this afternoon are struggling, disturbing and fundamentally unjust.

:05:51. > :05:55.As an elected female member of As an elected female member of

:05:56. > :05:58.Parliament, I am fortunate to have a platform where I can speak, not for

:05:59. > :06:02.myself, but that those without a voice. But those women and girls who

:06:03. > :06:08.are forced to live in silence and not being treated with dignity, nor

:06:09. > :06:11.have the right to equality. And this debate, I hope, will lead to further

:06:12. > :06:20.conversations and further progression on eliminating violence

:06:21. > :06:25.against women and against girls. It is always a pleasure to speak on

:06:26. > :06:26.this issue. Can I congratulate the members who put their names to this

:06:27. > :06:30.debate to bring it forward so we debate to bring it forward so we

:06:31. > :06:41.could all participate in it? Thank you. One in particular is busy bee

:06:42. > :06:44.honourable lady for Edinburgh West, I don't think anybody in this

:06:45. > :06:48.chamber who did not sit and listen to her story could not be moved by

:06:49. > :06:52.that and I would thank her very much for giving this House a chance to

:06:53. > :06:58.hear a very personal story and to do it so well. I recently attended the

:06:59. > :07:01.event of regarding this issue at Westminster and again was shocked by

:07:02. > :07:05.the research carried out for this debate. It seems beyond me in this

:07:06. > :07:10.day and age that there are still people out there who believe that it

:07:11. > :07:15.is permissible of the Google to physically harm anyone, never mind

:07:16. > :07:20.women and children. It is an issue that is close to my heart. I'm the

:07:21. > :07:24.party 's spokesman here for many issues and one of those issues is

:07:25. > :07:29.women and equalities and I'm happy to have a contribution to this

:07:30. > :07:39.debate and to support the centre thrust of what they debate is about

:07:40. > :07:45.-- inequalities. It is coincided with the 16 day campaign on social

:07:46. > :07:48.media with great effect. It's about on the 20th of November to the 10th

:07:49. > :07:53.of December and what better place for us to play our part in taking

:07:54. > :07:56.action against this domestic violence when this place where laws

:07:57. > :08:04.are made and this is the biggest seed of democracy in the world. In

:08:05. > :08:07.my own constituency, Women's Aid have done a wonderful job in

:08:08. > :08:12.highlighting this campaign that I am aware that it is aimed at businesses

:08:13. > :08:16.to support them to take action against domestic abuse and also

:08:17. > :08:20.violence. Employees have a legal obligation to assess dynamic risk

:08:21. > :08:24.and support to health and the safety of wellness of their employees and

:08:25. > :08:27.sometimes it is good for business to focus upon that and their

:08:28. > :08:31.responsibility that they have to their employees. Companies can do

:08:32. > :08:35.more to aid their employees who insure domestic violence, to train

:08:36. > :08:40.those who witnessed it and to protect staff as a whole with a goal

:08:41. > :08:44.of securing safety and mitigating financial loss. Most small

:08:45. > :08:48.businesses without a HR department will panic at the thought of this.

:08:49. > :08:51.This is a perfect opportunity to educate people on how to help those

:08:52. > :08:57.who caught in situations in which they cannot help themselves. I know

:08:58. > :09:02.it is not the minister's direct but perhaps the Minister could give us

:09:03. > :09:06.an indication of what can be done for the small and medium businesses

:09:07. > :09:08.to ensure that they have the capacity and perhaps the resources

:09:09. > :09:12.to ensure that these education to ensure that these education

:09:13. > :09:18.programmes are carried out in the workplace to a very effective level

:09:19. > :09:22.and manner? The idea of the campaign is that the different theme will be

:09:23. > :09:25.introduced every day to experience the various forms of domestic

:09:26. > :09:29.violence and the workplace will be better to acknowledge the signs that

:09:30. > :09:35.indicate it maybe go along. My mum always Tommy never a thought dirty

:09:36. > :09:39.laundry and she is absolutely right. We should not do it. We should not

:09:40. > :09:43.do it our families or parties, we should keep it at home. But at the

:09:44. > :09:47.same time, there is a mentality that prevents people from seeking the

:09:48. > :09:52.help that they need to stop the statistics make it clear that

:09:53. > :09:55.domestic violence is not simply that you secluded events, it is an

:09:56. > :09:58.academic and I believe it is that that level and it must be addressed

:09:59. > :10:01.and that is why this debate today is so important and why I'm so pleased

:10:02. > :10:14.to take part in it. We reel off the stats, but they are

:10:15. > :10:20.important because they indicate what is happening in society. I want to

:10:21. > :10:27.give a bit more detail. Two women are killed every week by a current

:10:28. > :10:33.or former partner. One in four women in England and Wales will experience

:10:34. > :10:37.the mystic violence in their lifetimes. 8% will suffer domestic

:10:38. > :10:44.violence in any given year. Globally, one in three women will

:10:45. > :10:48.experience violence at the hands of a male partner. Domestic violence

:10:49. > :10:55.has a higher rate of repeat victimisation than any other crime.

:10:56. > :11:03.So that gives a bit of perspective. Every minute, police received rave

:11:04. > :11:11.domestic assistance call, yet only 35% of domestic violence incidents

:11:12. > :11:15.are reported to the police. We need to make sure people get the response

:11:16. > :11:20.they need. In 2001, the British crime survey found that there was an

:11:21. > :11:24.estimated 635,000 incidents of domestic violence in England and

:11:25. > :11:32.Wales. 81% of the victims were women, 19% were men. Domestic

:11:33. > :11:41.violence is made up -- makes up 22% of all violent incidents reported.

:11:42. > :11:45.That is a massive amount. On average, a woman is assaulted 35

:11:46. > :11:51.times before her first call to the police. Only then does a lady have

:11:52. > :11:57.the courage to go to the police. We have to encourage them at an early

:11:58. > :12:02.stage to go to the police and not end up with the horrific stories we

:12:03. > :12:05.have. I am very conscious that the honourable ladies and other members

:12:06. > :12:20.have told stories here, but I understand the issues. Let's give

:12:21. > :12:26.credit where credit is due. Early action would address the issue of

:12:27. > :12:38.stalking. It must stop at the beginning.

:12:39. > :12:47.I am aware of the fear and threat but there is from those who have

:12:48. > :12:51.been stalked, almost as prey, by those who don't seem to care what

:12:52. > :12:57.happens to them. We need strong legislation in place. The 24 hour

:12:58. > :13:03.mystic sexual violence helpline -- domestic and sexual violence

:13:04. > :13:12.helpline gets thousands of calls. There were 611 sexual violence calls

:13:13. > :13:15.from 518 female callers. 58% of women callers disclosed mental

:13:16. > :13:21.health issues as a result of the violence that takes place. And it

:13:22. > :13:27.effect it has on their family really moves me. Others in this House feel

:13:28. > :13:34.the same. When you hear the stories of constituents, they are

:13:35. > :13:38.heart-rending stories. I thank the honourable gentleman for giving way.

:13:39. > :13:46.He's talking about the mental health effects of violence against women.

:13:47. > :13:49.One of the concerns I have is that women in my constituency who have

:13:50. > :13:52.been victims of rape can't get access to the counselling and

:13:53. > :13:56.support services that they require. There is nothing in Slough. They

:13:57. > :14:01.have to go to Wycombe or Reading, and there is up to a 20 month

:14:02. > :14:09.waiting list for women who have the devastation of this. I would urge

:14:10. > :14:17.the minister, when she responds, to promise that the investment will go

:14:18. > :14:25.into speed up this horrible delay. I thank the honourable lady. They are

:14:26. > :14:33.wise words that she has put to the floor of this House. We want

:14:34. > :14:39.government to respond to that in a positive way. 533 women and 226

:14:40. > :14:51.children were referred to Women's Aid refuges last year. Some of the

:14:52. > :14:58.stats are horrendous. Some 70% of women in certain locations in South

:14:59. > :15:03.Sudan have been subjected to sexual violence of either a minor or

:15:04. > :15:10.extensive form. There is almost an inherent abuse among some people. It

:15:11. > :15:14.takes International Women's Day to address violence. Let's speak not

:15:15. > :15:22.only for our women at home in the United Kingdom, but also women

:15:23. > :15:33.across the world. That is what I and others have tried to say. I have

:15:34. > :15:37.been working with a lady who is the CEO of an organisation and we have

:15:38. > :15:42.an event here on the 22nd of November where they bring in

:15:43. > :15:48.speakers and send an invitation to people. At that meeting, it was

:15:49. > :15:51.firstly to celebrate International children's day and the day for the

:15:52. > :15:58.elimination of violence against women. We had police present. We had

:15:59. > :16:02.family law people available on the panel. We also had solicitors. It

:16:03. > :16:09.was a good crowd. They ask questions to address the issue. We were asking

:16:10. > :16:15.questions about violence at home in this great City of London. That was

:16:16. > :16:20.where the people had come from. That gives us an idea of the magnitude of

:16:21. > :16:25.what took place. I hate the fact that 25% of women, one in four, will

:16:26. > :16:31.experience domestic violence in their lifetime. This should be in

:16:32. > :16:36.the history books and not in today or tomorrow's paper or on Sunday's

:16:37. > :16:43.paper. The question is, what are we doing in this House to play our

:16:44. > :16:48.part's not simply in the 16 days of action we are now in the middle of,

:16:49. > :16:52.but in the lifetime of this Parliament. What education are we

:16:53. > :17:00.putting in place to raise a generation to abort this violence?

:17:01. > :17:05.We want to encourage women to respond and have access in Slough

:17:06. > :17:11.and elsewhere across the whole of the UK, and be able to contact the

:17:12. > :17:14.police at the time you need them. They must know they are worth more

:17:15. > :17:19.than putting up with physical and emotional abuse. How are we training

:17:20. > :17:25.our young men to value women, and our young women to value themselves?

:17:26. > :17:29.These are the questions we must answer in this House through this

:17:30. > :17:34.debate. If we do not have the right answers, we have a duty to get it

:17:35. > :17:39.right and to do it now. I thank the right honourable and honourable

:17:40. > :17:43.members for bringing this forward. I challenge every person in this

:17:44. > :17:48.debate and those who have not been able to make the debate over how we

:17:49. > :17:51.can make changes that will affect the quality of lives of people in

:17:52. > :17:58.every age group and every colour and every creed and every class in every

:17:59. > :18:01.area of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. This

:18:02. > :18:08.is our challenge, and we must be determined to fulfil it. Today's

:18:09. > :18:12.debate marks the UN International day for the elimination of violence

:18:13. > :18:16.against women. Elimination is an ambitious word, but what we have

:18:17. > :18:24.heard today makes it clear that we need to be ambitious if we are to

:18:25. > :18:28.tackle the epidemic of violence against women that is biting so many

:18:29. > :18:32.lives. I congratulate the honourable member for Feltham and Heston for

:18:33. > :18:35.leading the debate so comprehensively. I also commend the

:18:36. > :18:39.right honourable member for Basingstoke for the ongoing work

:18:40. > :18:46.that her committee has been doing to promote and advance progress in this

:18:47. > :18:50.area. We have heard today from many speakers that the recognition of

:18:51. > :18:54.violence against women is a global human rights abuse, but but it is a

:18:55. > :18:59.pervasive and extensive human rights abuse and it affects women in all

:19:00. > :19:04.our communities and all over our world. It is rooted in gender

:19:05. > :19:08.inequality and compounded by it. Scottish Women's Aid are fond of

:19:09. > :19:11.saying that it is a cause and a consequence of violence against

:19:12. > :19:16.women, and we have heard today that one in three women will experience

:19:17. > :19:19.domestic abuse or sexual violence in her lifetime. Personally, I think

:19:20. > :19:24.that is probably quite a Conservative estimate. I would like

:19:25. > :19:31.to pay tribute to the enormous courage of my honourable friend from

:19:32. > :19:36.Edinburgh West for talking openly about things that have been so

:19:37. > :19:40.unspeakable for so long. I think breaking the silence, as she and

:19:41. > :19:43.other members today, including the honourable member for Batley and

:19:44. > :19:51.Spen, have done, is incredibly powerful. I hope their frankness and

:19:52. > :19:56.wisdom and strength will help other women, women who are recovering from

:19:57. > :19:58.sexual violence, women who at the moment don't know whether their

:19:59. > :20:05.lives will ever be back on track or ever be the same again. I hope what

:20:06. > :20:11.we have heard today helps women to go forward with strength and makes

:20:12. > :20:17.the future different for the next generation of women. Members have

:20:18. > :20:19.referred to the fact that this morning, I published my private

:20:20. > :20:24.member's bill that would require the government to set up a timetable to

:20:25. > :20:27.ratify the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and

:20:28. > :20:31.combating violence against women and domestic violence, better known as

:20:32. > :20:34.the Istanbul Convention. It would also strengthen reporting

:20:35. > :20:38.requirements so that MPs would have better opportunities to scrutinise

:20:39. > :20:42.the implementation of the Convention on an ongoing basis. I hope the

:20:43. > :20:47.government will support my bill, and I hope members will come to the

:20:48. > :20:53.debate a week on Friday and push something forward that I think we

:20:54. > :20:56.all want to see happen. The Istanbul Convention has local, national and

:20:57. > :21:01.transnational dimensions and its implementation has the potential to

:21:02. > :21:04.make real difference to women's lives. Scottish Women's Aid have

:21:05. > :21:09.described the Istanbul Convention as the best piece of international

:21:10. > :21:12.policy in practice for eliminating violence against women that exists,

:21:13. > :21:16.setting minimum standards for government responses to victims and

:21:17. > :21:20.survivors of gender-based violence. It is a blueprint for how we move

:21:21. > :21:24.from small change at the margins, services that are picking up too few

:21:25. > :21:30.people to let, to a system designed to end domestic abuse and violence

:21:31. > :21:35.against women. The Istanbul Convention offers a powerful vehicle

:21:36. > :21:40.for countries across Europe and beyond to prevent and combat

:21:41. > :21:44.violence. The UK has played a prominent role for many years,

:21:45. > :21:48.responding to these challenges, and was involved in the development of

:21:49. > :21:52.the convention and the negotiations surrounding it. But having signed

:21:53. > :21:56.the Istanbul Convention in June 2012, the UK has still to ratify the

:21:57. > :22:01.treaty. The government has said it wants to ratify it and intends to

:22:02. > :22:05.ratify it, but we have reached a hiatus. The process has stalled and

:22:06. > :22:09.the Istanbul Convention has now been languishing on the back burner for

:22:10. > :22:12.over four and a half years. My bill is simply an attempt to shift that

:22:13. > :22:17.logjam and give the government the impetus it needs to take the final

:22:18. > :22:25.steps needed to bring the UK into compliance. We know there are a

:22:26. > :22:26.number of areas in which the UK Government needs to legislate to

:22:27. > :22:30.bring domestic legislation into compliance with Article 44 of the

:22:31. > :22:35.treaty, and the need for legislative consent in Scotland and Northern

:22:36. > :22:38.Ireland. I hope the government will use the opportunity of my private

:22:39. > :22:46.member's bill to shift this logjam and ratify this convention while

:22:47. > :22:50.they have the opportunity. I also paid tribute to the work that has

:22:51. > :22:54.been mentioned earlier by members of the IC change campaign. I am also

:22:55. > :22:59.grateful for the support from members across this House on both

:23:00. > :23:06.sides of the house, but also from every part of the UK for that

:23:07. > :23:10.process. Given all the comments today from members, not least the

:23:11. > :23:17.honourable member for Birmingham Yardley, saying, let's just do this,

:23:18. > :23:22.we can do this. I hope we are now on a fast-track to making this a

:23:23. > :23:29.reality. I have been working with women's organisations across the UK.

:23:30. > :23:35.I was invited by a group in London to visit one of their refuges here,

:23:36. > :23:40.which I did yesterday. I met five women and eight children currently

:23:41. > :23:46.staying in a refuge. There are many things to reflect on from the visit,

:23:47. > :23:49.overwhelmingly, how vulnerable are these women are when they leave an

:23:50. > :23:53.abusive situation and how precarious their lives can be for some time

:23:54. > :23:58.afterwards. My visit brought home to me that the album is associated with

:23:59. > :24:03.a shortage of affordable housing are obviously acute in London, but it is

:24:04. > :24:08.a reality in all parts of the UK, and those problems are magnified for

:24:09. > :24:14.women trying to move on and make a fresh start. Those women have a hard

:24:15. > :24:18.road ahead. For their own safety, they often need to leave their own

:24:19. > :24:22.community and move away from any support networks they have. I met a

:24:23. > :24:25.boy in the refuge yesterday. He was nine years old and bears the

:24:26. > :24:29.physical scars of his father's violence. I don't dig it is possible

:24:30. > :24:34.to know what other invisible scars he may be carrying. But he wanted to

:24:35. > :24:38.show me his Lego. He had built an aeroplane, which he was pleased to

:24:39. > :24:41.tell me he designed himself, but his masterpiece which he was showing off

:24:42. > :24:45.with pride was a house, a house made out of Lego. At the moment, his

:24:46. > :24:57.family is all sleeping in one room in a refuge, but he is dreaming of a

:24:58. > :25:01.home one day. Yet his mum told me how hard it was to find a house for

:25:02. > :25:03.her and her children while she is still looking after a toddler and

:25:04. > :25:05.doesn't have a job. She also talks about experiencing racism in her

:25:06. > :25:08.search for housing and more generally, and it focused my mind on

:25:09. > :25:10.the fact that domestic violence is one of the causes of homelessness

:25:11. > :25:12.across the UK. In Scotland, domestic violence is the third most common

:25:13. > :25:16.reason for a homelessness application. 73% of applications are

:25:17. > :25:23.made by women and more than a third of those are women with children.

:25:24. > :25:31.It makes me wonder why women stay in violent situations and it is they

:25:32. > :25:32.have nowhere to go. Women who do leave their homes to escape violence

:25:33. > :25:36.find that they may have to do it find that they may have to do it

:25:37. > :25:40.repeatedly before finding a stable home with all the people that it

:25:41. > :25:47.entails and that prohibits women from seeking the deep for themselves

:25:48. > :25:59.and their children. -- safety? Gender-based violence affects women

:26:00. > :26:05.of of all economic backgrounds. In this respect, we do see gender

:26:06. > :26:10.inequality compounded by other forms of structural disadvantage and I saw

:26:11. > :26:18.that first-hand yesterday. Several members this afternoon have talked

:26:19. > :26:21.about the cultural and traditional aspects of violence against women.

:26:22. > :26:28.Clearly I've been talking a lot at about the Istanbul convention, it is

:26:29. > :26:31.a powerful legal instruments and that it's important to remember we

:26:32. > :26:36.have work to do to bring about changes in attitudes and beliefs and

:26:37. > :26:45.the honourable member touched on this and the honourable member or

:26:46. > :26:46.Hayward and Middleton, highlighted practices, FGM, both at home and

:26:47. > :26:56.abroad. Representatives of many of abroad. Representatives of many of

:26:57. > :27:01.the major religions represented in the UK attended the House of Lords

:27:02. > :27:05.and I think it is very important that we bring those dimensions into

:27:06. > :27:08.the debate because culture is so often held as a justification of

:27:09. > :27:14.violence. Cultures can and do change violence. Cultures can and do change

:27:15. > :27:18.and religious leaders do have a special responsibility and

:27:19. > :27:22.opportunity to influence deep-seated attitudes, values and beliefs that

:27:23. > :27:26.are very foundation of a people's identities and the lies that they go

:27:27. > :27:29.on to lead. I was very encouraged to meet with these people from several

:27:30. > :27:34.faith traditions who are taking these issues very seriously and

:27:35. > :27:41.working within their own faith communities to me things forward. Mr

:27:42. > :27:46.Deputy Speaker, one of the things, one of the women said in the refugee

:27:47. > :27:49.yesterday, said women need to help women and looking at the gender

:27:50. > :27:55.balance at the time but today, it is very clear that women in this place

:27:56. > :28:00.take these issues very seriously. Our bodies on the front line, our

:28:01. > :28:06.psychological health, are very selves are very on the front line in

:28:07. > :28:10.this battle. All of us are affected by gender-based violence. Some of us

:28:11. > :28:14.are affected in very personal ways as we have heard today. Far too many

:28:15. > :28:17.of us continued to experience one of us continued to experience one

:28:18. > :28:24.form or another of gender-based violence. Sexual violence is

:28:25. > :28:29.grounded in the abuse of power. Get each and every of us in this place

:28:30. > :28:33.is incredibly powerful, we are women with a voice, we are women with a

:28:34. > :28:40.platform, we are people interested to speak of the. Surely the greatest

:28:41. > :28:43.testament we can have two violence against women is to use that power

:28:44. > :28:48.to eradicate it, use that power to end it and I hope women right across

:28:49. > :28:51.this House and men also who want to stand in solidarity with us, will

:28:52. > :28:54.join us in the fight to make these not just words, that when we talk

:28:55. > :28:57.about the elimination of violence about the elimination of violence

:28:58. > :29:07.against women, we mean it and we end it was several. -- once and for all.

:29:08. > :29:11.the members who secured this the members who secured this

:29:12. > :29:16.backbench debate. It has been a phenomenal debate to be sat in. I

:29:17. > :29:25.want to start by echoing the message from the honourable member who said

:29:26. > :29:28.this is a crossbench issue, we can only eliminate violence against

:29:29. > :29:32.women if we do it in a collaborative way and I think what has been heard

:29:33. > :29:36.in this chamber has shown that that is indeed a possibility with the

:29:37. > :29:40.conviction that we all have. The honourable member also went on to

:29:41. > :29:50.contextualise why this debate is so important, with 3 million women in

:29:51. > :29:57.UK expressing violence, 27.1% of us. A third of us and they do echo, that

:29:58. > :29:59.there's probably an underestimate. there's probably an underestimate.

:30:00. > :30:05.She also rightly focused on the impact that violence has, the

:30:06. > :30:10.Beatles, the horror that goes on from that particularly, she focused

:30:11. > :30:14.on the impact of children, the lack of support for them. And politically

:30:15. > :30:18.on the lack of mental health or everybody that is affected by this,

:30:19. > :30:27.as was echoed by the honourable member from south. They spoke

:30:28. > :30:31.increase in online abuse and get increase in online abuse and get

:30:32. > :30:34.clear recommendations for what needs to be done. The honourable member

:30:35. > :30:38.four Basingstoke 's book about the sexual harassment of girls and I

:30:39. > :30:40.would like to say that the work that the women inequalities has done is

:30:41. > :30:41.fantastic and we hope we get an fantastic and we hope we get an

:30:42. > :30:45.equally strong response from the equally strong response from the

:30:46. > :30:51.Government from it. I important thing because I don't think anyone

:30:52. > :30:57.in the chamber will forget the speech by the honourable member from

:30:58. > :31:05.Edinburgh West. I quite, first I was surprised, then I was therefore,

:31:06. > :31:09.then I realised the horror. -- fearful. The words from a 14 euros

:31:10. > :31:16.goal. We all felt the horror and we are sorry to you and every other

:31:17. > :31:21.girl that expresses that horror. They spoke of the shame that we

:31:22. > :31:25.have, to allow this to happen and urge the Government, and so many

:31:26. > :31:27.have commented that improper mandatory sexual relationship

:31:28. > :31:36.education so that all children understand that means delaying -- no

:31:37. > :31:39.difference between right and wrong. difference between right and wrong.

:31:40. > :31:45.I would like to move on to the honourable member and pick up on one

:31:46. > :31:49.word that she used repeatedly which was the word lucky. Lucky because

:31:50. > :31:57.she was only violently assaulted by a man. I suppose when we look at the

:31:58. > :32:03.scale of the abuse and when we look at the number of murders that she

:32:04. > :32:07.also spoke of, the number of times a woman will insure domestic abuse

:32:08. > :32:12.before she reports it, then maybe you were lucky. I feel lucky that

:32:13. > :32:16.you are here in this chamber to share this story and two campaign,

:32:17. > :32:22.to prevent it happening to any other woman. I was pleased that the

:32:23. > :32:29.and Lanark and Hamilton picked up on and Lanark and Hamilton picked up on

:32:30. > :32:33.how victims are often the ones who have to change their lives, move

:32:34. > :32:37.it be for this crime and this crime it be for this crime and this crime

:32:38. > :32:43.alone that it is the victim that has this perpetuating assault on them,

:32:44. > :32:46.having to live in fear for potentially the rest of their lives?

:32:47. > :32:54.We have to do something to address this. I would also like to go to,

:32:55. > :32:57.like the speech that the honourable member from Hayward and Middleton

:32:58. > :33:02.made, she broadened it to an international speech and spoke very

:33:03. > :33:10.powerfully about the fact that 88% of women in Sierra Leone have been

:33:11. > :33:14.the points that she has said that to the points that she has said that to

:33:15. > :33:19.be honest, as long as this is viewed as a cultural practice, rather than

:33:20. > :33:23.child abuse, we will never eradicate child abuse, we will never eradicate

:33:24. > :33:29.it and we in this chamber need to do all that we can to stop using it as

:33:30. > :33:31.a cultural excuse that attack it as a child abuse. She also spoke how

:33:32. > :33:36.dangerous it is to be a women in dangerous it is to be a women in

:33:37. > :33:42.Afghanistan, particularly a women in public life. And when we look

:33:43. > :33:45.internationally, while the horrors going on in Afghanistan are

:33:46. > :33:48.unparalleled, we are seeing that rebel going across the world at the

:33:49. > :33:55.moment and that is something that we all need to be calling up very

:33:56. > :33:59.actively. -- ripples. She spoke interesting about working with

:34:00. > :34:02.companies say they recognise the signs of domestic violence and also

:34:03. > :34:05.how to intervene and prevent it and he also brought us into the

:34:06. > :34:10.international aspect of those that one in three women suffering

:34:11. > :34:15.violence and also that one in four women suffering domestic violence in

:34:16. > :34:21.duty to challenge an address that. duty to challenge an address that.

:34:22. > :34:28.The honourable member has tabled a bill on Friday, next Friday, which I

:34:29. > :34:31.hope that we will all support and it is demanding that the Government

:34:32. > :34:34.actually put forward a timetable for when they ratified the Istanbul

:34:35. > :34:39.convention. The Istanbul convention is a historic international treaty

:34:40. > :34:43.which set legally binding standards from preventing an attacking

:34:44. > :34:46.domestic abuse and crucially the Convention gives all survivors of

:34:47. > :34:48.domestic abuse the right to access specialist services which they need

:34:49. > :34:54.to leave and safety and rebuild their lives. I am sure I'm being

:34:55. > :34:57.uncharitable to hope that that is not the block that is preventing the

:34:58. > :35:00.Government from signing this and I hope that they will do the right

:35:01. > :35:05.thing next Friday and give a guaranteed timetable of when the

:35:06. > :35:10.bill will be ratified. The Government have, however, and should

:35:11. > :35:13.be commended for doing a lot of work to prevent pilots against women and

:35:14. > :35:20.girls. And I'm grateful for the honourable members the drawing that

:35:21. > :35:23.to the attention of the House, around modern slavery, the stalking

:35:24. > :35:28.bill that came in, the international work and national work on preventing

:35:29. > :35:34.violence against women and girls and FGM. However, however, we know that

:35:35. > :35:40.domestic violence and violence against women and girls does remain

:35:41. > :35:42.at pandemic levels the world a little. Domestic violence and

:35:43. > :35:47.violence against women in UK has increased rapidly between 2009 and

:35:48. > :35:52.2014, pushing up the overall levels of violent crime in the UK. Yes, a

:35:53. > :35:56.number of members did say that there is the contradictory official view

:35:57. > :35:59.that the crime stats say that violent crime in England and Wells

:36:00. > :36:04.is continuing to fall. However, we know that because of the research

:36:05. > :36:09.done that this is because they cap the number of crimes to an

:36:10. > :36:14.individual at five incidents per victim. Even if many more offences

:36:15. > :36:18.were accorded, when the cap is removed and the raw data actually

:36:19. > :36:23.examined, the number of violent crimes increases by 60%. This

:36:24. > :36:27.increase is predominately concentrated on violent crimes

:36:28. > :36:32.against women, perpetrated by their partners and acquaintances. As my

:36:33. > :36:37.friends have stated, domestic violence has a higher rate of repeat

:36:38. > :36:41.victimisation than any other crime, on average a women were larger 35

:36:42. > :36:48.attacks before calling the police. So looking at the date, 30 of those

:36:49. > :36:53.are going unrecorded. I'm grateful they have decided to stop that

:36:54. > :36:56.capping at five. I expect that the next crime stats will give a much

:36:57. > :37:01.more accurate picture of the scale of violence against women and girls.

:37:02. > :37:02.Unless we have reliable data, Government and local authorities

:37:03. > :37:10.cannot plan and resource is the cannot plan and resource is the

:37:11. > :37:14.correct response. It is impossible to provide the correct services if

:37:15. > :37:17.you do not know the need. How can the Government resorts and police

:37:18. > :37:21.correctly if they have no idea of the scale of support needed? Is

:37:22. > :37:29.liberally heard today, local authorities and refugees are

:37:30. > :37:31.struggling to cope. I asked the minister, when the Government have

:37:32. > :37:35.evidence of the true scale of need, what they look to provide more

:37:36. > :37:39.specialist resources to is local authorities and directly to

:37:40. > :37:41.specialist services? The Government National statement of expectations

:37:42. > :37:45.give guidance on what local authority should be provided for

:37:46. > :37:48.victims of domestic and sexual violence. The guidance alone does

:37:49. > :37:51.not ensure that everyone and in need can access services. The NSC says

:37:52. > :37:58.service Commissioners must have service Commissioners must have

:37:59. > :38:02.specialist in place, local authorities are facing unprecedented

:38:03. > :38:09.budget cuts. Forcing commissioners to value cost per bed over quality

:38:10. > :38:12.of service. Specialist services are closing as a result. Whether the

:38:13. > :38:16.woman and her children sleep on the night she leaves her violent partner

:38:17. > :38:20.if there is no refuge for her to go to? How can she rebuild her life and

:38:21. > :38:24.there are no specialist staff to cancel her and her children and to

:38:25. > :38:31.support her to find a new home? -- council. They cannot simply be

:38:32. > :38:35.referred to local authority in a haphazard way. Under the current

:38:36. > :38:38.system, the Government has no way of knowing if there's enough adequate

:38:39. > :38:42.provision for women and the right areas. Will the Minister today to

:38:43. > :38:46.commit to marking out the existing domestic violence and sexual

:38:47. > :38:50.violence provision in the country and correlate this with a needs

:38:51. > :38:52.assessment? Will they recognise the sheer scale domestic violence

:38:53. > :38:59.requires attitude it central Government response, not just a set

:39:00. > :39:00.of expectations on local authorities? Were available to the

:39:01. > :39:12.provisions in the Istanbul convention by them? Bowl will they

:39:13. > :39:16.sign up to? I remain at sea committed to champion the cause of

:39:17. > :39:22.prevention. Violence against women and girls will not be inevitable.

:39:23. > :39:25.Prevention is essential if we are to ensure women and girls can live free

:39:26. > :39:30.their own life. Yet we are seeing an their own life. Yet we are seeing an

:39:31. > :39:34.ever-increasing normalisation of violence in our society. Staring out

:39:35. > :39:38.screens, mobile phones of little screens, mobile phones of little

:39:39. > :39:42.girls and bulls, their expression to online pornography from a young age

:39:43. > :39:45.and messages conveyed in the media, children are growing up that

:39:46. > :39:48.believing that violence and nonconsensual sex in relationships

:39:49. > :39:52.is not just normal, it is to be accepted. At the same time, children

:39:53. > :39:56.are being pressured by adults and children to engage in harmful sexual

:39:57. > :40:02.behaviour, such as sharing indecent images. Children are entering

:40:03. > :40:05.adulthood and Noble to recognise exploitive, abusive and manipulate

:40:06. > :40:07.behaviours. Teenage girls tell me that they expect to recognise

:40:08. > :40:09.exploitive, abusive and manipulate behaviours. Teenage girls tell me

:40:10. > :40:11.that they expected the abuse by their boyfriends, that is what being

:40:12. > :40:15.a girlfriend is about. The Government can no longer stand by

:40:16. > :40:17.and allow this. Will the Government introduced that itchy

:40:18. > :40:22.age-appropriate sex and relationship education in schools to give

:40:23. > :40:27.children the knowledge and the confidence they need to reckless

:40:28. > :40:30.abuse of growth behaviour and to contextualise the messages about sex

:40:31. > :40:36.and relationships they are receiving in the media?

:40:37. > :40:41.Violence is perpetrated against women because they are women. Women

:40:42. > :40:44.are murdered by their boyfriends, husbands, sons, fathers and uncles

:40:45. > :40:48.in the UK and around the world because they believe women are to be

:40:49. > :40:53.controlled and owned. Girls' genitals mutilated because it is

:40:54. > :40:56.believed a woman's sexuality belongs to her husband. They are denied

:40:57. > :41:01.education and fought into marriage because girls' lads are valued less

:41:02. > :41:08.than boys'. They are afraid to leave their house, see their family and

:41:09. > :41:10.love their children because they exist to please men. Women are

:41:11. > :41:12.murdered, tortured and abused at the hands of men because this violence

:41:13. > :41:15.is used to maintain male power and control. Until we have acceptance of

:41:16. > :41:20.that across our societies, we will never truly eradicate it. Until

:41:21. > :41:23.violence against women and girls is accepted as structural violence,

:41:24. > :41:26.perpetrators will be allowed to cross examine their victims in

:41:27. > :41:30.courts. Little girls will continue to be told that he is groping her

:41:31. > :41:33.because he likes her. Girls will continue to grow up thinking

:41:34. > :41:38.violence and manipulation are part of being a woman. Ending violence

:41:39. > :41:42.against women and girls requires a radical societal shift in power and

:41:43. > :41:52.attitudes. It is the role of every member in this House to live up to

:41:53. > :41:56.that. If today is a really important day marking one of the UN's 16 days

:41:57. > :42:06.of action to eliminate violence against women and girls. It has been

:42:07. > :42:12.a vital debate, showing our united determination across this House to

:42:13. > :42:19.end these terrible crimes. I want to start by paying heartfelt thanks to

:42:20. > :42:24.the member from Edinburgh West. To hear her talking about her raped

:42:25. > :42:30.when she was 14 years old and breaking a taboo by talking about it

:42:31. > :42:36.in this place was remarkable. It is incredibly brave of her, in the

:42:37. > :42:40.eloquent way that she did, to talk about what happened to her. I am

:42:41. > :42:48.sure her mother would be incredibly proud of her. As a result, she will

:42:49. > :42:55.be helping so many women who are suffering in silence. And listening

:42:56. > :42:59.to her, if only one woman picks up the phone and get the support that

:43:00. > :43:03.is available, she will have saved someone's life and I am sure many

:43:04. > :43:09.women will have drawn that courage and inspiration from her today. I

:43:10. > :43:15.also want to thank the member for Batley and Spen, who also briefly

:43:16. > :43:25.talked about the serious sexual assault to her. She made a powerful

:43:26. > :43:28.speech and highlighted what she says are widespread attitudes in the

:43:29. > :43:34.abuse of women in the industry she serves in. Power to her elbow. I

:43:35. > :43:37.give her every encouragement to carry on talking about this and help

:43:38. > :43:43.women in that industry today to not have to suffer in the way she has

:43:44. > :43:48.suffered in the past. I also want to pay tribute to my colleague the

:43:49. > :43:56.member for Eastleigh, who gave a moving speech about her dreadful

:43:57. > :44:03.personal experiences as being a victim of stalking. I commend her

:44:04. > :44:09.for using this personal experience to have campaigned so strongly since

:44:10. > :44:12.she became a member. It played an important part in bringing in the

:44:13. > :44:17.stalking measures we saw yesterday. I also want to thank the member for

:44:18. > :44:24.Feltham and Heston for securing this debate today, and the approach she

:44:25. > :44:34.took. And also to the honourable friend opposite. This must be a

:44:35. > :44:39.cross-party, across the House. There is no room for any political

:44:40. > :44:45.politics in this area. We have to keep this issue top of the political

:44:46. > :44:50.agenda by working together to see the cultural changes that we all

:44:51. > :44:53.want to see. I also want to commend my colleague, the right honourable

:44:54. > :44:58.friend for Basingstoke, for reminding the House today of the

:44:59. > :45:04.strong leadership of the Prime Minister herself on keeping women

:45:05. > :45:09.and girls safe at home and around the world, and also her personal

:45:10. > :45:11.leadership in her committee and the valuable work they were doing that

:45:12. > :45:19.the government appreciates, not least of which was the report we

:45:20. > :45:23.have discussed today. Our goal remains simple. No woman should live

:45:24. > :45:31.in fear of abuse, and every girl should grow up knowing she is safe.

:45:32. > :45:35.Violence and abuse can affect everyone, and while we do think the

:45:36. > :45:40.prevalence of violence against women is going down and we are working to

:45:41. > :45:45.make sure we have the right data and just yesterday published more data

:45:46. > :45:49.to help us be sure about that, we know we have a long way to go to

:45:50. > :45:53.reach our goal. While it is encouraging that more women feel

:45:54. > :45:59.able to come forward and we are seeing more prosecutions and

:46:00. > :46:03.convictions, we are not complacent. Since 2010, we have done more than

:46:04. > :46:10.ever to tackle violence against women and girls. In March, we

:46:11. > :46:15.launched a strategy and pledged over ?80 million of funding to support

:46:16. > :46:19.this in the UK. We have strengthened the law and provide agencies with

:46:20. > :46:22.the tools they need to support victims, bring perpetrators to

:46:23. > :46:26.justice and prevent these crimes happening in the first place. We

:46:27. > :46:31.have introduced new offences for coercive and controlling behaviour,

:46:32. > :46:38.stalking, forced marriage and FGM and have banned revenge porn. On top

:46:39. > :46:41.of this, I was delighted yesterday that we were able to announce

:46:42. > :46:49.important new measures to tackle gender-based violence. As we have

:46:50. > :46:54.heard, stalking is a devastating crime and has serious consequences.

:46:55. > :46:58.So yesterday, we committed to introducing new civil stalking

:46:59. > :47:02.protection orders to protect victims and stop perpetrators at the

:47:03. > :47:10.earliest opportunity before their behaviour becomes entrenched.

:47:11. > :47:13.Yesterday, we also launched a ?15 million three-year transformation

:47:14. > :47:19.fund to aid, promote and embed the best local practice, as we have

:47:20. > :47:22.heard exists today, and to ensure that early intervention and

:47:23. > :47:26.prevention becomes the norm so we can stop some of the awful gaps in

:47:27. > :47:33.services that we have heard about today. Although we have a national

:47:34. > :47:39.strategy, it is vital that local areas take ownership and

:47:40. > :47:42.responsibility for the services in their areas, and they put the victim

:47:43. > :47:47.at the centre of their approach to providing services, incorporating

:47:48. > :47:53.the wide range of people that need to work together to support them. To

:47:54. > :47:57.help areas do this, we have published the national statement of

:47:58. > :48:00.expectations, which sets out clearly, and we have worked with a

:48:01. > :48:08.great deal of civil society organisations as well as the local

:48:09. > :48:12.Government Association to make sure the commissioning is the best it can

:48:13. > :48:16.be. Where there are good examples across the country, we want them to

:48:17. > :48:21.be available to every community and every woman. So we have published a

:48:22. > :48:26.lot more data yesterday, including the domestic homicide review. This

:48:27. > :48:32.looked for the first time at all the learning we have got from examples

:48:33. > :48:36.of where things have gone badly wrong, where individuals didn't get

:48:37. > :48:39.the services, where the statutory sector did not do everything it

:48:40. > :48:47.could have done to keep women safe, with the ultimately worst outcome

:48:48. > :48:50.that led to their death. By publishing this review and a series

:48:51. > :48:54.of recommendations, we will be able to make progress. Included alongside

:48:55. > :48:58.that was better training for the chairs of domestic homicide reviews

:48:59. > :49:09.and funding to enable this work to carry on. Our new ?15 million

:49:10. > :49:16.service transformation fund is just one part of the ?80 million package

:49:17. > :49:20.I talked about. This is the most any government has put any central

:49:21. > :49:24.funding into two combating these crimes. That includes provision for

:49:25. > :49:31.rape support centres, national helpline is and refuge position. I

:49:32. > :49:35.am sure our actions are backing up our strong words. If more resources

:49:36. > :49:39.are needed, we will keep that under review. The police transformation

:49:40. > :49:44.fund has also funded programmes that support our work, and there are

:49:45. > :49:53.other sources of funding across the country at local and national

:49:54. > :49:57.levels, including victims' services, the modern slavery programme as well

:49:58. > :50:04.as the ?15 million from the tampon tax fund. I am particularly pleased

:50:05. > :50:07.that this year, the fund recognised the important role that grassroots

:50:08. > :50:12.organisations play in addressing violence against women and girls,

:50:13. > :50:16.and they have a particular spot in the fund. I was asked some very

:50:17. > :50:23.direct questions which I want a answer. The red folder is on the

:50:24. > :50:28.bench! Firstly, it is the case that abusive behaviour off-line is

:50:29. > :50:34.treated the same way as online. The same prevention orders and the same

:50:35. > :50:39.tools are used to prosecute offenders. So please, members, go

:50:40. > :50:43.out into your communities and spread that word that we must get law

:50:44. > :50:53.enforcement agencies to use those new powers. Secondly, the member for

:50:54. > :50:59.Birmingham Yardley said, and I think we all agree, that we must do more

:51:00. > :51:04.to educate children about healthy relationships including sexual

:51:05. > :51:10.relationships, indeed, that no must mean no in every circumstance. There

:51:11. > :51:15.is a huge amount of determination and ongoing work to deliver this.

:51:16. > :51:20.She is right to say we all need to talk about it. As a mother of three

:51:21. > :51:23.children, I can say it can be a bit embarrassing, not least for my

:51:24. > :51:28.children, to have to talk about this. I think my son has just about

:51:29. > :51:36.recovered from having to talk to his mum about online porn. But it is

:51:37. > :51:43.essential that we do this, and there is a lot of very good material to

:51:44. > :51:47.support us as citizens, as parents, as teachers, as youth workers, to

:51:48. > :51:52.have those conversations. And we are determined to make sure we work with

:51:53. > :51:55.partners such as the national association of PHC, C ops, a range

:51:56. > :52:02.of excellent charities that do so much to make sure we have effective

:52:03. > :52:05.communication is to educate young boys and girls about good and

:52:06. > :52:11.healthy and safe relationships. I was also asked to respond to the

:52:12. > :52:14.semis and report. I will be writing to the members who raised that,

:52:15. > :52:18.because it was a detailed report and I want to do it justice by

:52:19. > :52:22.responding to all the recommendations, so I will. And also

:52:23. > :52:27.the issue of perpetrator programmes was raised. Clearly, these have an

:52:28. > :52:32.important role in trying to prevent harmful behaviour. But I am aware

:52:33. > :52:37.that not all of them are as good as we want them to be. So you are

:52:38. > :52:41.working with the charity Respect to revise the accreditation standards

:52:42. > :52:49.for these programmes. We have also heard harrowing stories about FGM

:52:50. > :52:55.and its continued prevalence. I want to confirm to everyone the

:52:56. > :52:58.determination of the Prime Minister, the Home Secretary, who has made

:52:59. > :53:03.this a personal challenge, that we do everything to stamp out this vile

:53:04. > :53:10.and unacceptable practice in our country and all around the world.

:53:11. > :53:16.Finally, there was much talk about the ratification of the Istanbul

:53:17. > :53:21.Convention today. I am proud that we signed that convention, and I know

:53:22. > :53:24.we will ratify it. I want to assure members that it is not stopping us

:53:25. > :53:30.doing anything for Lacko ratification. We are already

:53:31. > :53:35.complying with every aspect of that convention. In fact, we exceed most

:53:36. > :53:40.of the criteria of the convention except in the criterion of

:53:41. > :53:48.extraterritorial powers. There are ongoing discussions during the

:53:49. > :53:50.devolved administrations, particularly Northern Ireland, to

:53:51. > :53:55.get this right. We will not have time to go into all those details to

:53:56. > :54:02.be. Next Friday, we can talk about this at length and I look forward to

:54:03. > :54:06.that. In conclusion, I want to thank the members for Cheltenham, Lanark

:54:07. > :54:13.in Hamilton, Birmingham Yardley, Taunton Deane, Heywood and

:54:14. > :54:17.Middleton, Strangford and black and for really powerful and insightful

:54:18. > :54:19.speeches today. It is one of the finest debates I have had the

:54:20. > :54:27.pleasure of sitting through in this chamber. I also want to underline to

:54:28. > :54:32.especially the people outside the chamber today that I am sure that

:54:33. > :54:38.together, we will be redoubling our efforts across Parliament, across

:54:39. > :54:41.civil society, through business and in conjunction with international

:54:42. > :54:45.partners so that when we meet again next year, we will have many more

:54:46. > :54:51.victories to celebrate and fewer failures to talk about. Violence

:54:52. > :54:58.against women and girls simply has no place in the modern world. It

:54:59. > :55:01.harms individuals, families, communities, societies and the

:55:02. > :55:08.global economy. Through our determined effort, I am sure we can

:55:09. > :55:13.make this history. It is not only important that we do this. It is the

:55:14. > :55:15.right thing to do. It is vital for women and girls, but all humanity

:55:16. > :55:28.will reap the benefits. Thank you. Could I start by thanking

:55:29. > :55:30.the Minister and the Shadow Minister for their contributions at the end

:55:31. > :55:35.of this debate which I thought both were very, very helpful and

:55:36. > :55:43.valuable. I want to thank all members who've taken part today as

:55:44. > :55:47.well and particularly also make a mention to the member of ballet and

:55:48. > :55:54.spent, Eastleigh and the member for Edinburgh West, if I could echo the

:55:55. > :55:57.words of the Minister that your mum would have been incredibly proud and

:55:58. > :56:01.ensure that your family are. We all are and in the speech that you gave

:56:02. > :56:06.as indeed the others, you put others first ahead of yourself and I think

:56:07. > :56:10.if I can extend my thanks to you also doing that, I believe it make

:56:11. > :56:19.it big difference to members of my constituency also. If I could also

:56:20. > :56:23.thank Mr Deputy Speaker, the backbench business committees for

:56:24. > :56:26.their support and allowing us to have the debate today. We have heard

:56:27. > :56:33.a rage of contributions that highlight the progress in areas, the

:56:34. > :56:37.rolling back the clock in others, the description of the scenario in

:56:38. > :56:42.cereal own own is a true example of that. If I could thank the Minister

:56:43. > :56:45.for the comment he made on the questions that were raised, Edwin

:56:46. > :56:53.surprise her however that we were disappointed to not hear compulsory

:56:54. > :56:55.sex and relationship education in schools, particularly like the

:56:56. > :57:01.urgency of that. I'm sure that will not be the end of that debate. And

:57:02. > :57:06.also for the recognition, the need also for the recognition, the need

:57:07. > :57:10.to ratify the Istanbul convention, to lay out a timetable and one we

:57:11. > :57:15.believe and know will be stuck to. Thank you very much, Mr Deputy

:57:16. > :57:20.Speaker, for the chance to speak. The question is as on the order

:57:21. > :57:27.paper. As many are of the opinion, say I. To the country, no. The eyes

:57:28. > :57:36.have it. We welcome the backbench debate on the counter strategy, one

:57:37. > :57:40.year on. Green cancer. I want to recognise those in the catholic

:57:41. > :57:44.unity for the work they do day in and day out in fighting this

:57:45. > :57:49.disease. And the role in the member of huge number of members in this

:57:50. > :57:55.House do huge range of cancer related groups in this important

:57:56. > :58:00.area. My right honourable friend who is chairman of the all-party group

:58:01. > :58:03.on cancer is unable to be here today but wanted me to say how much she

:58:04. > :58:09.appreciates the backbench business committee granting this debate. As

:58:10. > :58:11.the House may know, his wife is currently undergoing treatment and

:58:12. > :58:15.I'm sure everyone in this House would want to send our best wishes

:58:16. > :58:20.to him and his family at this difficult time. It is estimated that

:58:21. > :58:25.there are over 2.4 million people living with cancer in the UK and

:58:26. > :58:29.this number continues to grow. Cancer is becoming more complex with

:58:30. > :58:36.many more treatments available, many patients living with the

:58:37. > :58:39.consequences of a cancer diagnosis, many years after treatment has

:58:40. > :58:42.finished. The all-party group on finished. The all-party group on

:58:43. > :58:48.cancer has a proud record of successfully campaigning on a number

:58:49. > :58:53.of issues, just two days ago, we held our annual Britain against

:58:54. > :58:56.cancer conference in Central Hall. One of the largest cancer confidence

:58:57. > :59:04.in the UK. On the heart of this group, I want to on my thanks to all

:59:05. > :59:07.the contributors, including the Minister and the Shadow Health

:59:08. > :59:11.Secretary of State for their contributions. Delegates very much

:59:12. > :59:16.appreciated everybody's input. The last two years have seen significant

:59:17. > :59:17.developments in cancer policy. In July 2015, the independent cancer

:59:18. > :59:22.task force published the England task force published the England

:59:23. > :59:26.cancer strategy. Since we last debated this issue in November last

:59:27. > :59:31.year, NHS England have published that England cancer strategy

:59:32. > :59:37.implementation plan. Setting out how they will roll out the 96

:59:38. > :59:40.recommendations of the strategy. More recently, we have seen the

:59:41. > :59:45.publication of the cancer transformation board's progress

:59:46. > :59:49.report outlining what steps NHS England has taken over the last year

:59:50. > :59:54.in implementing these recommendations across the country.

:59:55. > :59:57.Only last Friday, the office for National statistics published the

:59:58. > :00:01.latest one-year cancer survivor rate figures that those patients

:00:02. > :00:10.diagnosed in 2014 and followed up to 2015. As NHS England chief executive

:00:11. > :00:13.cancer conference this week, they cancer conference this week, they

:00:14. > :00:16.showed the dramatic improvement in patient outcomes that have been

:00:17. > :00:22.achieved over the last 20 years. This is something to be celebrated.

:00:23. > :00:26.But there is still much more to do. The all-party group has been active

:00:27. > :00:30.in monitoring progress on the England cancer strategy, holding a

:00:31. > :00:33.short inquiry early in the year to assess progress. We concluded that

:00:34. > :00:38.positive progress is being made but there is still much more to do to

:00:39. > :00:42.realise that the ambition of the England cancer strategy. Having

:00:43. > :00:46.taking evidence from a very wide range of people, we made a number of

:00:47. > :00:51.recommendations which I will do is to highlight some of the key themes

:00:52. > :00:55.that emerged from the inquiry. The first key recommendation of our

:00:56. > :01:00.inquiry report focus on the need for greater clarity on funding for all

:01:01. > :01:04.the 96 recommendations of the England cancer strategy. So it was

:01:05. > :01:08.positive to see more detail in the cancer transformation board's

:01:09. > :01:11.progress report. It set up the funding available per year for the

:01:12. > :01:16.next four years. I'd very much welcome the announcement by Simon

:01:17. > :01:26.Stephens this week that Britain against cancer conference, they will

:01:27. > :01:30.be able to bid for funding in early diagnosis, care for people living

:01:31. > :01:33.with cancer and cancer after treatment. This is very good news. I

:01:34. > :01:39.look forward to getting further clarity on how the old funding

:01:40. > :01:44.package set out in the progress report will be allocated across the

:01:45. > :01:48.cancer strategy's recommendations. This is particularly important given

:01:49. > :01:51.the lack of clarity around cancer funding to date. The estimates for

:01:52. > :01:59.the total amount spent on cancer care in the NHS per newly diagnosed

:02:00. > :02:03.patient had not been published beyond 2012, 20 13. And this has

:02:04. > :02:07.been described as a significant data gap when it comes to evaluating the

:02:08. > :02:12.cost and efficiency of cancer care. So will the Minister today commit to

:02:13. > :02:18.publishing an update on these figures in the House of Commons

:02:19. > :02:21.library at the earliest opportunity? Alongside funding, another

:02:22. > :02:26.recommendation and concern that was raised by stakeholders in our

:02:27. > :02:30.inquiry was around the need for further transparency on how the

:02:31. > :02:34.cancer strategy is being delivered, what the priorities are and who is

:02:35. > :02:37.responsible for delivering key recommendations. Again, the progress

:02:38. > :02:41.report from the cancer transformation board went some way

:02:42. > :02:44.to address this concern. However, that detail around how the strategy

:02:45. > :02:48.is being delivered, critically the membership, in terms of reference

:02:49. > :02:54.for the six oversight groups, tasked with overseeing delivery is vital to

:02:55. > :02:58.ensure the wider cancer community is properly engaged. We also heard from

:02:59. > :03:00.on how the delivery of on how the delivery of

:03:01. > :03:06.recommendations will be monitored at recommendations will be monitored at

:03:07. > :03:12.her local level. One of the things that I was shocked at in the debate

:03:13. > :03:19.in ovarian cancer is to find out part of the country where it is not

:03:20. > :03:23.routinely affordable for people who are suspected of ovarian cancer and

:03:24. > :03:28.I have also had letters from a number of constituents who say that

:03:29. > :03:35.they are unable to get access to drugs which help prevent breast

:03:36. > :03:41.cancer and I am wondering whether the all-party group came up with

:03:42. > :03:45.some recommendations about trying to ensure that where ever you live, you

:03:46. > :03:51.get the best possible cancer prevention and care? Because at the

:03:52. > :03:55.moment, there clearly is not a universal provision of these

:03:56. > :04:01.important diagnostic tests and drugs. My honourable friend bank

:04:02. > :04:05.support point about equal access across the country and that is

:04:06. > :04:09.something that we are all concerned about and focused on. It is positive

:04:10. > :04:13.to hear that the 16 cancer analyses have been established and the NHS

:04:14. > :04:17.England will be publishing further guidance for alliances to help them

:04:18. > :04:22.develop their plans to deliver the cancer strategy locally. But if they

:04:23. > :04:25.are to monitor the rate delivery of this strategy, it is vital they have

:04:26. > :04:30.the resources to do this effectively. An issue that was

:04:31. > :04:35.raised is around workforce, I believe most people agree with me

:04:36. > :04:38.when I say that our NHS workforce is under great strain. The council

:04:39. > :04:44.workforce is experiencing significant gaps in key areas

:04:45. > :04:48.including radiotherapy and clinical nurse specialist, for example,

:04:49. > :04:52.Anthony Nolan highlights the access to post transplant clinical nurse

:04:53. > :04:57.specialist is inconsistent across the country. At the same time,

:04:58. > :05:03.demand is growing and cancer is becoming more complex as patients

:05:04. > :05:07.often have multiple Kobe disease. If these source address, workforce

:05:08. > :05:11.pressures will have a severe effect on cancer services. Another area of

:05:12. > :05:15.growing need for cancer patients is access to timely and appropriate

:05:16. > :05:19.mental health support which, if achieved, can the pressures on other

:05:20. > :05:21.parts of the health service. The all-party group welcomed the

:05:22. > :05:25.recommendations of the strategy which said that health education

:05:26. > :05:29.England would deliver issues you to review at the council workforce by

:05:30. > :05:35.March 20 17. The all-party group are grateful to Professor Ian Cumming

:05:36. > :05:38.for meeting with earlier this year. However, we have strong concerns

:05:39. > :05:42.about progress on this crucial piece of work. Although we are aware that

:05:43. > :05:46.the baseline report of the current council workforce has been produced,

:05:47. > :05:51.has not yet been published and there is currently little detail on how

:05:52. > :05:55.health education England are planning to keep up the strategic

:05:56. > :05:59.review. We also not aware of any plans from health education England

:06:00. > :06:03.to engage with the sector on the strategic review and continue to be

:06:04. > :06:08.concerned by the lack of transparency and involvement of the

:06:09. > :06:11.wider sector. We were pleased to see reference to this strategic review

:06:12. > :06:21.of workforce in the Department of Health's maybe two AG, -- mandate to

:06:22. > :06:25.ADE. Will they hold to account on this recommendation? Diagnosing

:06:26. > :06:30.cancer earlier improves survival rates and the all-party group

:06:31. > :06:34.believes that focusing on, indicators such as the survival rate

:06:35. > :06:37.is crucial in driving progress in this area. Having the one year

:06:38. > :06:43.survival rate is crucial in driving progress in this area. Having the

:06:44. > :06:48.one-year assessment framework, it is very much welcomed by the all-party

:06:49. > :06:50.group who have long campaigned for this to happen. Since then, the

:06:51. > :06:54.all-party group of continue to all-party group of continue to

:06:55. > :06:56.champion the scores and earlier this year, we were the first to

:06:57. > :07:00.congratulate them recognise those clinical mission groups who had

:07:01. > :07:06.improved their one-year cancer survival figures at our annual,

:07:07. > :07:11.reception. It was music to our ears to hear Simon Stephens at this

:07:12. > :07:14.week's Britain cancer conference that the commit NHS England to

:07:15. > :07:19.increasing its efforts on diagnosing cancer earlier. The latest one-year

:07:20. > :07:22.cancer survival rates were published and we were pleased to see an

:07:23. > :07:29.improvement with the average one-year cancer survival rate in

:07:30. > :07:31.England standing at 17.4%. However, incremental improvements are not

:07:32. > :07:35.enough to match our neighbours in Europe and across the world. With

:07:36. > :07:40.figures below the standard asset in countries such as Sweden which has a

:07:41. > :07:56.one-year survival right at 82%. -- 70.4%. I am completely aware of the

:07:57. > :08:00.diagnosing cancer Valley. -- early. Difficulty in early diagnosis is one

:08:01. > :08:06.of the reasons why the outcome to pancreatic cancer have not improved

:08:07. > :08:11.over those 40 years. 74% of patients across the UK cannot name a single

:08:12. > :08:17.symptom of pancreatic cancer so there is a need for further cancer

:08:18. > :08:20.awareness campaigns to improve the outcomes for these. Cancers as well

:08:21. > :08:27.as further research into better diagnostic in these areas. Cancer

:08:28. > :08:31.campaigns have been very effective but as blood wise points out, we

:08:32. > :08:33.need further thought on how the NHS can work closely with cancer

:08:34. > :08:39.charities and patient organisations to increase awareness of cancers

:08:40. > :08:47.with nonspecific symptoms such as blood cancers. I charity were that

:08:48. > :08:51.early diagnosis of lung cancer dramatically improves patient

:08:52. > :08:55.outcomes, the biggest cancer killer. In some countries, screening for

:08:56. > :08:58.lung cancer is being interviews with positive outcomes, should we

:08:59. > :09:02.actively considered that here. It is worth pausing to recognise the

:09:03. > :09:05.excellent work that public health campaigns have played in fighting

:09:06. > :09:08.cancer. Since the smoking ban was introduced nearly ten years ago, the

:09:09. > :09:15.number of adult smokers in the UK has dropped by 1 million. Smoking

:09:16. > :09:21.cessation is still the most effective cancer strategy and when

:09:22. > :09:25.local, far under pressure, it does not lead to reductions in public

:09:26. > :09:29.game with long-term negative health game with long-term negative health

:09:30. > :09:34.consequence and associated costs. And as Cancer research have already

:09:35. > :09:35.made clear, the Government must publish the Tobacco control strategy

:09:36. > :09:46.without delay. You to recommendation is a theme of

:09:47. > :09:49.patient organisations within the current committee in implementation

:09:50. > :09:55.of the cancer strategy across England. This recommendation is

:09:56. > :09:58.supported by other groups, such as Cancer campaigning groups who noted

:09:59. > :10:05.in recent reports that both camps of transformation board and the

:10:06. > :10:09.National advisory group should combine expertise and involve

:10:10. > :10:14.patients in delivery. This is pertinent in relation to people with

:10:15. > :10:19.a rarer or less common cancers, many of which are childhood and teenage

:10:20. > :10:22.cancers. The all-party group were concerned when the cancer

:10:23. > :10:24.transformation board's implementation plan did not

:10:25. > :10:32.highlight rarer cancers specifically. We know that rarer

:10:33. > :10:38.cancers, particularly with vague symptoms, tend to be diagnosed

:10:39. > :10:43.later, with many going on to the emergency presentation, not only

:10:44. > :10:47.impacting survival but also poor patient experience. And many with

:10:48. > :10:51.rarer cancers, particularly blood cancers, can live with their

:10:52. > :10:54.condition for many years and it is vital that provision to support

:10:55. > :10:59.people living with and beyond cancer, such as the recovery

:11:00. > :11:03.package, take consideration of the needs of these patients. Whilst many

:11:04. > :11:07.recommendations in the cancer strategy will go some way to address

:11:08. > :11:14.this, it is vital that NHS England readings are strong focus on this

:11:15. > :11:18.group. What instructions has the Minister had with NHS England about

:11:19. > :11:23.ensuring organisations across the cancer community are involved in

:11:24. > :11:27.delivery of the cancer strategy? Currently, cancer medicines,

:11:28. > :11:35.including for rare cancers, Ira praised by NICE to allow for

:11:36. > :11:40.recommendation to be given at time of licence. But that current NICE

:11:41. > :11:43.methodology and process is not suitable for assessing treatments

:11:44. > :11:48.for rarer cancers and that the one size fits all model adopted by NICE

:11:49. > :11:52.could result in patients with rarer cancers losing out on access to

:11:53. > :11:56.treatments that patients in other developed countries are able to

:11:57. > :12:02.access. That is an ongoing joint consultation from NICE and NHS

:12:03. > :12:07.England incorporating changes to highly specialised technology

:12:08. > :12:10.appraisal, introducing affordability assessment and creating the fast

:12:11. > :12:14.track good for highly effective drugs. But consultation does not

:12:15. > :12:19.address or acknowledge any specific recommendations for the assessment

:12:20. > :12:23.or treatment for rarer cancers. This has been raised by the transaction

:12:24. > :12:28.unity as a concerned that make these available treatments vulnerable to

:12:29. > :12:36.always falling through the net. Can the Minister say what is the plan to

:12:37. > :12:40.ensure that NICE process and methodology incorporates the limited

:12:41. > :12:44.patient numbers for NI cancers, rather than applying the same

:12:45. > :12:49.process irrespective of the rarity of the cancer? And what additional

:12:50. > :12:55.flexible and he will be applied to NICE criteria when assessing rare

:12:56. > :12:59.cancers to account for inevitable uncertainties in clinical data? To

:13:00. > :13:04.summarise, it is important to recognise the progress being made in

:13:05. > :13:09.implementing the cancer strategy one year on but there is much more to do

:13:10. > :13:12.and, together, properly supported by government, the cancer community is

:13:13. > :13:16.willing and eager to deliver those better outcomes that would mean we

:13:17. > :13:18.are not just closing the gap on those better performing health

:13:19. > :13:24.nations but beginning to lead the way.

:13:25. > :13:29.The question is considering the cancer strategy one year on.

:13:30. > :13:37.Thank you very much for calling me early in this debate. May I express

:13:38. > :13:44.my sincere thanks to the honourable member, the gentleman from

:13:45. > :13:48.Scunthorpe, and also my honourable friend, the member for Basildon and

:13:49. > :13:55.Billericay, and I joined the whole House in sending best wishes to his

:13:56. > :14:02.wife at a very difficult time. Can I also paid tribute to the Backbench

:14:03. > :14:07.Business Committee for allowing time for what I think is a vital debate

:14:08. > :14:16.about the cancer strategy, now that it is almost 18 months since it was

:14:17. > :14:23.published in July last year. Mr Deputy Speaker, I am going to

:14:24. > :14:30.confine my remarks and hopefully be concise to address the issue of

:14:31. > :14:34.blood cancers in today's debate. There are 137 different types of

:14:35. > :14:42.blood cancer. Although many of them are not well understood by the

:14:43. > :14:49.general public and awareness is relatively low. Indeed blood cancers

:14:50. > :14:52.are the fifth most common type of cancer that people are diagnosed

:14:53. > :15:01.with in this country. And sadly, it is the third biggest killer and

:15:02. > :15:11.therefore I think it doesn't deserve much greater awareness and

:15:12. > :15:14.understanding and further efforts by the Department of Health and the

:15:15. > :15:21.National Health Service to ensure that patients who are diagnosed and

:15:22. > :15:25.their families are properly supported, and I thank the

:15:26. > :15:37.honourable member for Scunthorpe for raising that issue in his opening

:15:38. > :15:40.remarks. Mr Deputy Speaker, I was initially very unaware of the issue

:15:41. > :15:50.of blood cancer. My knowledge was relatively vague. That was until

:15:51. > :15:57.midway through 2012, when, after only a few weeks of being ill with

:15:58. > :16:05.flu-like symptoms, my mother was diagnosed with acute myeloid

:16:06. > :16:12.leukaemia, and within 24 hours of diagnosis, unfortunately, passed

:16:13. > :16:18.away. Sadly, this experience has been revisited on my office, with

:16:19. > :16:22.one of my employees, Tom, who also works with the honourable member for

:16:23. > :16:29.Walsham, find out just last month, just weeks ago, but his mother

:16:30. > :16:33.unfortunately has been diagnosed with leukaemia. I know the House

:16:34. > :16:43.will join me in sending our best wishes to her and to her family. It

:16:44. > :16:50.is often the fact that the issue of blood cancers comes thundering into

:16:51. > :16:56.people's lives unexpectedly. Because it doesn't perhaps have the same

:16:57. > :17:02.profile but solid tumour cancers do, and indeed, I mentioned my mother's

:17:03. > :17:09.experience of being ill for a short period of time and being diagnosed

:17:10. > :17:14.very late. Unfortunately, the National Cancer patient experience

:17:15. > :17:21.survey has shown that a third of those who are diagnosed with blood

:17:22. > :17:28.cancers have gone to see their GP twice before finally getting that

:17:29. > :17:35.diagnosis, because, again, of the lack of awareness. So I promised

:17:36. > :17:40.that I would be concise in my remarks and I just wanted to

:17:41. > :17:46.conclude by mentioning, as far as efforts here in Parliament, I'm

:17:47. > :17:54.pleased that, just for the summer recess -- just before, I was able to

:17:55. > :17:59.help with other members to establish the all-party parliamentary group on

:18:00. > :18:05.blood cancer and I'm delighted to see my honourable friend, the member

:18:06. > :18:09.for Strangford, in his place, who is very key member of that

:18:10. > :18:16.parliamentary group. We are seeking to raise awareness and I would like

:18:17. > :18:25.to put on the record mice and see a thanks to the speaker for a loving

:18:26. > :18:31.blood -- for a loving one cancer charity to hold an awareness event

:18:32. > :18:39.in the speaker's Apartments in September. -- for allowing. I know

:18:40. > :18:46.the Minister is very diligent and works very hard on these issues and

:18:47. > :18:50.has been kind and generous to me in responding to health concerns in the

:18:51. > :18:55.short time that he has held his well-deserved position. I would be

:18:56. > :18:59.grateful if the issue of blood cancers can be specifically

:19:00. > :19:03.addressed, so that the patient pathway and the patient experience

:19:04. > :19:09.can be improved, both in terms of general awareness, in terms of

:19:10. > :19:14.diagnosis and, of course, in terms of the sort of treatment and care

:19:15. > :19:21.with which those patients need in our national health Service. Thank

:19:22. > :19:27.you. Jim Fitzpatrick. It is an honour to follow the

:19:28. > :19:33.honourable gentleman for Crawley. He makes a strong case on blood

:19:34. > :19:38.cancers. I suspect his honourable friend will respond to his remarks

:19:39. > :19:42.later on. Can I give congratulations to my honourable friend from

:19:43. > :19:47.Scunthorpe for opening this debate and to him and his colleague from

:19:48. > :19:51.the all-party group from Basildon and Billericay and for securing the

:19:52. > :19:56.debate and I echo the honourable gentleman from Crawley's comments

:19:57. > :20:01.about wishing his honourable friend's wife and family well in the

:20:02. > :20:05.treatment that they are undertaking for that which they are suffering

:20:06. > :20:10.from the moment. I wasn't intending to speak in this debate, but I've

:20:11. > :20:20.got a couple of briefings from action on smoking and from Cancer

:20:21. > :20:24.Research UK and the British Lung Foundation. I thought there were

:20:25. > :20:30.some points that they were raising which would be appropriate to

:20:31. > :20:35.reinforce and to make. And checking that there was not massive pressure

:20:36. > :20:42.on time, the ability to make the points that would be possible were I

:20:43. > :20:52.to catch eye, and I am grateful for being called. Thank you to Deborah

:20:53. > :21:00.are not from Action on Smoking for their briefings. I have had cancer

:21:01. > :21:05.norm removed from my face. Biopsies on all of them were benign. --

:21:06. > :21:12.cancer melanoma is removed from my face. I was told to protect my

:21:13. > :21:18.Scottish features from the sun and ultraviolet which is even more

:21:19. > :21:22.worrying and, being married to a doctor, I always take careful notice

:21:23. > :21:26.of any clinical advice that I am given, at the risk of being

:21:27. > :21:32.criticised for not listening to those who are more intelligent and

:21:33. > :21:37.better qualified than me. I should say thanks to the good doctors from

:21:38. > :21:41.the Aberfeldy health centre and the dermatology department of the Royal

:21:42. > :21:48.London Hospital for their assistance in detecting me. First of all, if I

:21:49. > :21:55.refer to the briefing, I will start with the bad news, because of the

:21:56. > :22:02.briefings that I received had many positive things to say about the

:22:03. > :22:05.government strategy on cancer and the member for Scunthorpe in his

:22:06. > :22:10.opening remarks on the whole was very positive, but clearly questions

:22:11. > :22:15.to be asked and I will be asking some of the same questions, but more

:22:16. > :22:17.in support of that which the government and clinicians of NHS

:22:18. > :22:26.England are trying to achieve, rather than being criticisms. The

:22:27. > :22:32.briefing from Action on Smoking op games with the cancer Chatterjee

:22:33. > :22:41.from 2015-2020 recommends the Tobacco control plan. -- begins with

:22:42. > :22:45.the cancer strategy. If a target could have been met, and the target

:22:46. > :22:49.would have been published in July 2016, but six months on, and one

:22:50. > :22:54.year since the last Tobacco control plan expired that is still no plan,

:22:55. > :22:59.a major criticism that I have picked up in the briefings I have seen.

:23:00. > :23:08.Those go on to say that previous control plans achieved its ambitions

:23:09. > :23:15.to reduce smoking rates, it fell from 21.2% in adults to 18.5%. And

:23:16. > :23:20.months pregnant women from 12% to 11% or less. And asking the

:23:21. > :23:27.government must publish a new plan to build on this progress. I

:23:28. > :23:35.apologise if the plan has been published. But from the member of

:23:36. > :23:39.Scunthorpe's comments, it has not been published. So when will it be

:23:40. > :23:44.published? I would be grateful if the Minister can give encouragement

:23:45. > :23:47.that it is due sometime soon. The data shows how sex is for the

:23:48. > :23:54.previous plan was at cutting the numbers of smokers -- how successful

:23:55. > :24:01.the previous plan was. And also reducing nonsmokers, especially

:24:02. > :24:08.children, to second-hand smoke. I was a smoker, having started in my

:24:09. > :24:11.early teens, giving up on the 4th of November, 1980. In fact I remember

:24:12. > :24:17.the minutes, it does not indicate the fight that I missed it, but I

:24:18. > :24:24.remember the minute because the panorama programme highlighted the

:24:25. > :24:27.legs of each app that was in a wheelchair and it said the poor

:24:28. > :24:33.gentleman had suffered thrombosis in both legs and had amputations in

:24:34. > :24:37.both legs, and by the time it got to his face, he was still smoking

:24:38. > :24:44.cigarettes. My Ben wife was pregnant at the time and it seemed sensible,

:24:45. > :24:49.having tried 18 months previously and having given up for six months,

:24:50. > :24:54.but then burned my hand badly in a fire under first thing I asked for

:24:55. > :24:58.as I was taken to hospital after six of cigarettes was to be given a

:24:59. > :25:00.cigarette and it took me 18 months to get back off of them, but I

:25:01. > :25:10.managed to quit. When I joined the London Fire

:25:11. > :25:13.Brigade two thirds of the men smoke, and 20 years later two thirds of

:25:14. > :25:18.firefighters didn't smoke and that demonstrated the changing attitudes

:25:19. > :25:23.in the services but it reflected the same change in attitudes in society

:25:24. > :25:27.towards smoking, and of course all of the positive policies about no

:25:28. > :25:30.smoking in public buildings etc have demonstrated that we are a

:25:31. > :25:37.completely different society than we were 30 or 40 years ago. On a new

:25:38. > :25:41.plan for Tobacco control, which obviously we hope will be published

:25:42. > :25:45.shortly, I would be grateful if the minister even ahead of publication

:25:46. > :25:51.could share his thoughts on what targets for reducing adult smoking

:25:52. > :25:55.numbers we might be able to expect from 2020 onwards and what budget

:25:56. > :26:01.might be set aside for mass media campaigns and what support might be

:26:02. > :26:04.available for stop smoking services which reduce health inequalities,

:26:05. > :26:09.because most of the people who access the stop smoking services are

:26:10. > :26:13.from more deprived communities. And therefore that would help many of my

:26:14. > :26:19.constituents out, very appropriately. The last plan clearly

:26:20. > :26:25.work, Mr Deputy Speaker, and we need a new one. From Cancer UK's

:26:26. > :26:28.grieving, the key points from the briefing says that if the strategy

:26:29. > :26:35.is implemented in full it is estimated that 2000 more lives could

:26:36. > :26:39.be saved per year by 2020, at 11,000 of those lives would be saved

:26:40. > :26:41.through improvements to early diagnosis, one of the very strong

:26:42. > :26:47.points that my honourable friend from Scunthorpe was making. They can

:26:48. > :26:53.tell you that however they had not seen progress needed on the plan,

:26:54. > :26:58.they say that in prevention and four in ten cancers are preventable, they

:26:59. > :27:03.say that we need a radical upgrade in prevention to insure future

:27:04. > :27:09.sustainability in the NHS and reduce cancer incidence, and everyone --

:27:10. > :27:12.and they want the government to publish the Tobacco control the same

:27:13. > :27:18.as Ash does without further delay at the want the government to extend

:27:19. > :27:22.existing junk food and TV marketing restrictions to the 9pm watershed to

:27:23. > :27:27.reduce children's exposure to marketing by more than half. They

:27:28. > :27:30.say urgent action needs to be taken to ensure the NHS Cancer workforces

:27:31. > :27:35.adequately equipped to deal with rising demand and improving care and

:27:36. > :27:41.they welcome the commitment to increase the spent on diagnostics by

:27:42. > :27:44.up to an additional ?300 million by 2020 but seek clarity over how this

:27:45. > :27:51.is going to be allocated and used in local areas to improve diagnosis. In

:27:52. > :27:54.addition the National diagnostic capacity funding must also be

:27:55. > :28:01.continued, a point raised by my honourable friend. And they say,

:28:02. > :28:05.also, that cancer waiting time targets are being consistently

:28:06. > :28:11.missed, suggesting that there are still thousands of people not having

:28:12. > :28:14.the tests that they need in time. As I said earlier, there is also a lot

:28:15. > :28:21.of positive comments that have been made a Cancer Research UK, Mr Deputy

:28:22. > :28:25.Speaker, they say that in terms of the government progress in

:28:26. > :28:27.fermentation then the welcome the appointment of Calais parlour as

:28:28. > :28:32.National Cancer Director Chris Harrison as National clinical --

:28:33. > :28:36.national clinical director. They welcome the priorities that have

:28:37. > :28:41.been given to earlier diagnosis in the first year and commitment to

:28:42. > :28:47.invest more, and the welcome NHS England's reposed investment of 130

:28:48. > :28:52.million for over 100 new -- 100 replacements or upgrades of

:28:53. > :28:54.radiotherapy machines. They say that replacing the machines will mean

:28:55. > :28:59.that more patients can access the innovative radiotherapy which plays

:29:00. > :29:02.a vital role in curing cancer, slowing the growth of tumours and

:29:03. > :29:06.improving the quality of life in cancer patients.

:29:07. > :29:11.The final question from Cancer Research UK is the one about the

:29:12. > :29:17.government's commitment on the ?300 million raised by my honourable

:29:18. > :29:20.friend by 2020 to improve diagnostic capacity, they are asking for

:29:21. > :29:24.clarification of how this money is going to be allocated and used in

:29:25. > :29:32.local areas, and how it is going to be evaluated. So, in conclusion, Mr

:29:33. > :29:36.Deputy Speaker, as I said in the beginning, not only is not all of

:29:37. > :29:40.the comments from these respected organisations critical of government

:29:41. > :29:46.policy, it is actually confirmatory about government policy and its

:29:47. > :29:50.approach apart from the absence of the Tobacco control plan, which is a

:29:51. > :29:56.key absence which has been highlighted by all the charities and

:29:57. > :29:58.receptor organisations concerned, but there are lots of positive

:29:59. > :30:03.comments and I want to reinforce that to the minister because this is

:30:04. > :30:05.not about the opposition being critical of government, there are

:30:06. > :30:11.lots of great and positive stories in there. As my honourable friend

:30:12. > :30:16.from Scunthorpe raised and as I have raised on behalf of Cancer Research

:30:17. > :30:19.UK and Ash, there are a number of questions that we would like answers

:30:20. > :30:22.from, and if the minister is not in a position to do so today then

:30:23. > :30:25.obviously it would be very welcome if he could ask his officials to

:30:26. > :30:30.write to those involved in the debate with additional information

:30:31. > :30:33.in due course and I look forward to my honourable friend the Shadow

:30:34. > :30:40.minister and the Minister's comments in response to this debate. I am

:30:41. > :30:42.most grateful to be called in this important debate about was listening

:30:43. > :30:47.with great interest to the honourable gentleman from Poplar

:30:48. > :30:53.talking about his experiences of smoking and may I tell him that I

:30:54. > :30:55.know when I give up smoking, it was before a particular flight on a

:30:56. > :31:02.Parliament delegation back from Bahrain nearly 15 years ago, and I

:31:03. > :31:08.have never looked back. One of the drivers in making me give up smoking

:31:09. > :31:12.was a conversation I had with my honourable friend a member of the

:31:13. > :31:17.opposition, now Lord Bradley, who was a member for with an sure. And

:31:18. > :31:20.like the honourable gentleman from Poplar I remember smoking in this

:31:21. > :31:23.house, I remember smoking in committee rooms, I remember liking

:31:24. > :31:30.up in a standing committee and the reprimanded. The honourable

:31:31. > :31:35.gentleman Mr Deputy Speaker, I offered him a cigarette, we were in

:31:36. > :31:44.the tedium and you could smoke anywhere. He said, no thanks. I've

:31:45. > :31:48.got an emphysema hospital in my constituency, I've got an emphysema

:31:49. > :31:53.hospital in my constituency, and that really, really hit home. The

:31:54. > :32:00.honourable gentleman for Scunthorpe is nodding. I pay tribute to him. He

:32:01. > :32:05.was at the Cancer conference Britain against cancer on Tuesday, which I

:32:06. > :32:09.attended as an officer of the all-party Cancer group. He has

:32:10. > :32:12.served on that group much longer than I have and he chaired that

:32:13. > :32:16.meeting in the absence of our honourable friend the member from

:32:17. > :32:22.Billericay who are the members have paid tribute to and of course to his

:32:23. > :32:26.wife, who is undergoing treatment at the moment. I would like to see what

:32:27. > :32:28.a great job I think my honourable friend from Billericay has done on

:32:29. > :32:32.our side of the house in driving this agenda and it just shows that

:32:33. > :32:37.if you follow something you believe in here you can get dramatic

:32:38. > :32:43.results. And those two Matic results were clearly illustrated I thought

:32:44. > :32:47.-- and those dramatic results were clearly illustrated, and I always

:32:48. > :32:51.think you should be able to point something out that is better than

:32:52. > :32:59.just a word the phrasing report, Simon Stephens said in 1999, 60% of

:33:00. > :33:06.cancer patients survived, in 2014 it is 70%. And then we went over some

:33:07. > :33:12.of those figures. I thought those were truly remarkable figures.

:33:13. > :33:19.Really very, very encouraging. Mr Deputy Speaker, I want to focus on

:33:20. > :33:22.something else that Simon Stephens said, which the honourable member of

:33:23. > :33:26.the gentleman from Scunthorpe as alluded to. This is the ?200 million

:33:27. > :33:33.funding that he announced at that conference. He said, the ?200

:33:34. > :33:38.million fund has been set up to encourage full areas to find new and

:33:39. > :33:41.innovative ways to diagnose cancer earlier and improve the care for

:33:42. > :33:48.those living with cancer and ensure that each cancer patient gets the

:33:49. > :33:58.right care for them. And that includes after-care treatment, what

:33:59. > :34:01.do you do when a patient has had chemotherapy and there is nothing

:34:02. > :34:04.else there? They haven't been given any other options, they feel

:34:05. > :34:09.depressed, and unhappy. And that is really where my main experience in

:34:10. > :34:15.this house working in integrated health care, holistic medicine, I

:34:16. > :34:20.suppose as an officer of the all-party group for integrated

:34:21. > :34:27.health care, the confirmatory medicine group, I have been either

:34:28. > :34:35.group for nearly 30 years. It feels almost as if our time has come and

:34:36. > :34:41.that it is now being clearly recognise that part of the cancer

:34:42. > :34:47.package is a wide range of support and you can see this all over the

:34:48. > :34:57.country, I was at la Ross last Friday week which is the, or people

:34:58. > :35:00.who are very, very ill get, in Leicestershire, for the last two

:35:01. > :35:05.days. There were in individual therapies being offered there. Not

:35:06. > :35:10.just in my constituency but in many others. But going back to the

:35:11. > :35:15.conference, and the honourable gentle and now he has been promoted

:35:16. > :35:18.to the front bench,... That is the great thing about the opposition,

:35:19. > :35:22.the front bench changes so quickly you can never be sure about any

:35:23. > :35:30.honourable gentlemen are. I remember advice given to me was always to sit

:35:31. > :35:33.in the same place in the house. So the speaker knew where you are. It

:35:34. > :35:36.is a wonder in that case that any members of the other side get cold

:35:37. > :35:41.at all because they are always moving around the benches. The

:35:42. > :35:47.honourable gentleman has clearly been made up this afternoon and

:35:48. > :35:52.congratulations to that. Mr Deputy Speaker, one of the battles I have

:35:53. > :35:54.had over the years, and good afternoon Madam Deputy Speaker, has

:35:55. > :36:00.been with the medical establishment over what should be included in

:36:01. > :36:05.treatments in the health service. It has been an ongoing battle against

:36:06. > :36:08.vested interest in the medical establishment, which you don't want

:36:09. > :36:14.to see, money making from their own particular silos. This is all down

:36:15. > :36:23.to scarce resources. One of the most interesting stalls in the cancer,

:36:24. > :36:30.Britain against Cancer conference on Tuesday was this one. Cancer

:36:31. > :36:35.detection dogs. You rearm. Cancer detection dogs. Even I gasped when I

:36:36. > :36:38.saw it. -- here we are. The honourable lady who has also had

:36:39. > :36:43.experience with cancer has contributed so much in this house

:36:44. > :36:48.solely to cancer problems and she is nodding and smiling. The fact is

:36:49. > :36:53.Madam Deputy Speaker, the chances are we have dogs in this house, in

:36:54. > :36:57.one scene where and when they go to detect things that could and should

:36:58. > :37:01.have been -- could and should not have been placed here by people who

:37:02. > :37:05.do not agree with what we do. It is possible to use dogs to detect

:37:06. > :37:08.cancer. If it is possible to use dogs to detect cancer I suspect that

:37:09. > :37:12.the authorities in the health service have not run double-blind

:37:13. > :37:19.placebo-controlled trials to establish whether or not this

:37:20. > :37:22.procedure works. It works on the basis of experience, it works

:37:23. > :37:28.because the dogs are trained to detect by smell when people have

:37:29. > :37:36.developed cancer. And the great battle ground between orthodox

:37:37. > :37:41.medicine proponents, proponents of orthodox medicine, the battle line

:37:42. > :37:45.has been in recent years been drawn on something called evidence -based

:37:46. > :37:50.medicine. Where we are told that in the health service medicine should

:37:51. > :37:57.always be evidence -based and nothing should be used unless it

:37:58. > :38:04.meets the criteria. I had a look at this Mr Deputy Speaker, and it

:38:05. > :38:11.really goes back to something that Professor Sattar said, going back to

:38:12. > :38:21.1992, he made the statement and the other academics around with this,

:38:22. > :38:28.but what he also said, in saying how important evidence -based medicine

:38:29. > :38:31.was, he said, however, good doctors use both individual clinical

:38:32. > :38:39.expertise and the best available external evidence and neither alone

:38:40. > :38:44.is enough. Without clinical expertise, practice risks become

:38:45. > :38:52.tyrannised by evidence for even excellent external evidence may be

:38:53. > :38:58.inapplicable or inappropriate for an individual patient where with

:38:59. > :39:01.current best evidence practice risks becomes out of date and to the

:39:02. > :39:04.detriment of patients. Madam Deputy Speaker hit is hardly a secret that

:39:05. > :39:09.we were discussing Brexit in this house, yesterday, and that we have

:39:10. > :39:15.been very much involved in that debate since the summer. Many of us

:39:16. > :39:19.for a long time before that. But one of the problems that we have had in

:39:20. > :39:26.health care with the European Union has been the imposition of directors

:39:27. > :39:31.on the UK that have negatively impacted support services in health

:39:32. > :39:36.care. One of those measures Madam Deputy Speaker was the traditional

:39:37. > :39:39.herbal medicines directive which requires Chinese medical

:39:40. > :39:48.practitioners to show 30 years of usage in the UK or with a particular

:39:49. > :39:53.medicine or 15 years under other circumstances. And actually banned a

:39:54. > :39:58.whole range of complex preparations which are freely available in the

:39:59. > :40:00.People's Republic of China and produced to very high standards in

:40:01. > :40:10.modern factories in China. This chamber this, I was at a

:40:11. > :40:16.Chinese medical clinic, because I practice what I preach, getting

:40:17. > :40:19.acupuncture once a month, which I think has kept me away from

:40:20. > :40:28.antibiotics and steroids and a number of other drugs for a few

:40:29. > :40:32.years. I was talking to practitioners about what they were

:40:33. > :40:37.able to do about cancer patients. There was a long less of types of

:40:38. > :40:44.cancer that can be treated using traditional Chinese herbal

:40:45. > :40:52.medicines. One is cervical cancer, the second is non-Hodgkin's

:40:53. > :41:03.lymphoma, the third is HRV. The fourth is Colin cancer. Five is head

:41:04. > :41:09.and neck cancer. -- colon cancer. The list goes on. In my

:41:10. > :41:14.constituency, several constituents I believe are alive today because they

:41:15. > :41:19.have used Chinese medicine. And the reason for that is it strengthens

:41:20. > :41:28.your system. It strengthens the immune system. And it is very

:41:29. > :41:32.effective after cancer treatment. It deals with particular symptoms. I

:41:33. > :41:36.asked the practitioner this afternoon what conditions she would

:41:37. > :41:43.expect to be able to alleviate using Chinese herbal medicine. And

:41:44. > :41:47.acupuncture. She said tiredness, lack of energy, fevers, headaches,

:41:48. > :41:53.hypertension, dry skin, seizures and involuntary muscular twitching.

:41:54. > :41:58.Madame Deputy Speaker, we have got to broaden the scope of services

:41:59. > :42:07.that are available on the health service. To help meet patient

:42:08. > :42:14.demand, and I hope that we have this ?200 million fund that can mean a

:42:15. > :42:19.further widening of the scope of services available. My honourable

:42:20. > :42:23.friend on the front bench, who is new to his post, could do a lot

:42:24. > :42:33.worse than contact the head of the professional standards authority.

:42:34. > :42:41.That organisation oversees the regulation of 23 different health

:42:42. > :42:51.providers. I will not go down the list, but about 20,000 providers. If

:42:52. > :42:56.we go to the trouble of regulating, of having oversight of regulation,

:42:57. > :43:00.of different therapies, why don't we use them? What is the point of

:43:01. > :43:04.studies today regulations rejects the oversight and then we don't use

:43:05. > :43:11.the services? -- the point of statutory regulation. You could do

:43:12. > :43:18.worse than go around the country and look at some of the practices that

:43:19. > :43:28.are there, that help cancer patients who are in remission. One of the

:43:29. > :43:33.best is the South Wales Cancer centre, and each year it sees over

:43:34. > :43:40.5000 new referrals and around 50,000 outpatient appointments, employing

:43:41. > :43:49.over 670 staff on an annual budget of over ?49 million. That does not

:43:50. > :43:52.come from my honourable friend's department, but from charitable

:43:53. > :43:59.donations, but widely used by doctors. At that centre,

:44:00. > :44:05.reflexology, Reiki and healing, aromatherapy, breathing and

:44:06. > :44:08.relaxation techniques, all I used with spectacular results. And

:44:09. > :44:16.another wonderful clinic that my honourable friend could visit, it is

:44:17. > :44:23.a few stops on the district line, in full Long, it is called the breast

:44:24. > :44:28.Cancer Haven, using a whole range of therapies and I have attended the

:44:29. > :44:34.sessions. It is wonderful to see people suffering from breast cancer

:44:35. > :44:37.and other cancers given hope, and that chemotherapy is not the end of

:44:38. > :44:41.the road, that that is something out there to support them. Another

:44:42. > :44:49.wonderful organisation you should be aware of, who are at the cancer

:44:50. > :44:57.conference on Tuesday, is the living well with cancer organisation. They

:44:58. > :45:12.worked hard to produce a report on long-term impact on their LivingWell

:45:13. > :45:20.course. It shows a high approval rating for patients. 97% of patients

:45:21. > :45:26.reported making positive lifestyle changes after the LivingWell course.

:45:27. > :45:30.75% maintain positive changes made for four or five years, or still

:45:31. > :45:42.maintaining them. The LivingWell course had enabled them to self

:45:43. > :45:46.manage themselves. On the front bench, you will know that the

:45:47. > :45:49.patient choice, according to the Secretary of State, is at the centre

:45:50. > :45:54.of the health service. It is at the heart of it will stop if we are

:45:55. > :46:03.going to offer patients choice, we have to give them the provision out

:46:04. > :46:11.there to choose from. And speaking as a member on board the Health

:46:12. > :46:18.Committee at the science and to committee -- and the science

:46:19. > :46:26.committee, we looked at the complex problems in both those committees of

:46:27. > :46:30.polypharmacy and poly morbidity, which is jargon for too many drugs

:46:31. > :46:38.and not necessarily knowing what those do. We need to try to reduce

:46:39. > :46:47.that. One of the crises that we have in this country is the whole

:46:48. > :46:51.antibiotic resistance problem. We are just not getting antibiotics

:46:52. > :46:57.into the pipeline. Part of the problem of course is you are trying

:46:58. > :47:01.to create a new drug and then tried to reduce antibiotic use. That is

:47:02. > :47:07.part of the problem. But I there is a whole range of other therapies

:47:08. > :47:15.that can help patients. -- but out there. That can help patients stay

:47:16. > :47:19.away from antibiotics. I will not get caught on straying from this, I

:47:20. > :47:25.know this is a cancer debate, but there are a lot of alternative

:47:26. > :47:35.therapies. And I will get to the next one, homoeopathy, because they

:47:36. > :47:41.offer options because where running out of solutions in mainstream

:47:42. > :47:46.medicine. I have always championed homoeopathy in this House and I want

:47:47. > :47:49.to belated shtick lead to cancer. Wholemeal pasta not make claims to

:47:50. > :48:01.cure cancer but my goodness can help people. -- homoeopaths do not make

:48:02. > :48:06.claims. They can help with things like sleeplessness. One of the great

:48:07. > :48:10.tragedies at the moment in this country is that the tiny number of

:48:11. > :48:19.people who either guard at best as foolish and that worst as wicked are

:48:20. > :48:22.trying to erase the tiny sum of money, ?500 million, on homoeopathy

:48:23. > :48:27.in the health service, arguing it is a waste of money without looking at

:48:28. > :48:34.benefits. We are seeing pressure elsewhere on the institutions. What