Steve Reed Shadow Minister (Education) (Children and Families)
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the implications for her Department’s policies of the findings of the Children’s Society report entitled Counting lives, published in July 2019. Hansard source(Citation: HC Deb, 6 September 2019, cW)
Kit Malthouse The Minister of State, Home Department
Criminal exploitation in the form of county lines has a devastating impact on those affected and we must work together to identify and safeguard the victims and potential victims of this form of exploitation as early as possible.
Our Serious Violence Strategy sets out our approach to tackling county lines and its related exploitation and through this we have delivered a range of action to enhance our approach to tackling this issue.
This includes providing £3.6m for a new National County Lines Co-ordination Centre. Launched in September 2018 the NCLCC has already led three separate weeks of law enforcement ‘intensification’ leading to 1600 arrests and safeguarding of over 2100 individuals. Through the Early Intervention Youth Fund we are also funding 10 projects with a specific county lines focus to support victims and potential victims of this exploitation. We have also worked to increase awareness of county lines exploitation amongst those best placed to spot it and have published guidance for frontline professionals on how to identify potential victims of county lines and appropriate referral routes.
We welcome the report published by the Children’s Society and will consider its findings carefully as we continue to develop and strengthen our response to county lines. Hansard source(Citation: HC Deb, 6 September 2019, cW)
DOMESTIC ABUSE
Speaking during the debate on the Domestic Abuse Bill (2 Oct 2019)
Helen Hayes Labour, Dulwich and West Norwood
Domestic abuse is a leading cause of homelessness, and some of the most harrowing cases I have dealt with as a constituency MP have involved the difficulty faced by survivors of abuse in accessing safe, secure housing. Will the Secretary of State undertake to ensure in the Bill that survivors of domestic abuse automatically have priority need status for housing and, most importantly, that local authorities are fully and sustainably funded to deliver that obligation?
Robert Buckland The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
I am grateful to the hon. Lady for raising that issue, and the Bill provides an opportunity to delve into it. It is important that we outline those principles on Second Reading. In Committee, we will have an opportunity to debate the detail. I am particularly interested in the points that she made. I want to make the Bill as good as possible, and I need the help not just of colleagues in government but of all hon. Members to do that. (Citation: HC Deb, 2 October 2019, c1239)
(Source:TheyWorkForYou)
ARMS TO SAUDI ARABIA
Ellie Reeves Labour, Lewisham West and Penge
Despite repeated assurances from the Government over the years that they had acted within the law concerning export licences for arms to Saudi Arabia, we found out last week that the Government had acted unlawfully and today that there might be further breaches. When will this Government recognise the plight facing the Yemeni people and immediately suspend all existing and future arms exports to Saudi Arabia?
I acknowledged in my statement that there have been errors in the way that this procedure has been followed, which is why we have put in place interim measures to deal with this and are conducting an internal review, as well as an investigation by another Government Department. (Citation: HC Deb, 26 September 2019, c882) (Sources:TheyWorkForYou)
NEWS FROM CRYSTAL PALACE 