Women's Refuges: Funding (Hansard, 29 April 1993)

§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Baroness Cumberlege)
My Lords, the provision of funding for women's refuges is primarily a matter for local agencies.

§ Earl Russell
My Lords, I thank the Minister for that reply. Is she aware that in this country we still have only 284 refuges—approximately 30 per cent. of the number recommended by the Select Committee in another place in 1975 even though recorded levels of domestic violence are far higher than they were in that year? When she costs any proposals for improvement, as she must, will she take into account the cost of not making any improvement in that regard, especially the amount involved in taking children into care?

§ Baroness Cumberlege
My Lords, the noble Earl is absolutely right. There is anxiety about this issue. There is anxiety why the Minister of State at the Home Office, my honourable friend Michael Jack, is establishing a ministerial group on domestic violence. I am sure that the issues the group will look at will include the availability of accommodation and the way in which the law is framed and how improvements can be made.

§ Lady Kinloss
My Lords, will the Minister agree that it makes economic sense to fund centrally authorised refuges for abused women? Is she aware that the present diversity of funding makes matters extremely difficult because no one source of funding is guaranteed on a yearly basis? Will she also look into safe housing for abused women and their children following Bristol University's report on local authorities' response to domestic violence, which is published today?

§ Baroness Cumberlege
My Lords, the report will be fully published in two weeks' time. At present it is only a press release that has been issued. We wish to look at the report carefully. However, I understand that the report examines only four local authority areas in detail. It is clearly therefore a small-scale report and we must look at its recommendations in that light. As regards central or local funding, the Government believe that local funding provides the best solution because it is sensitive to local needs. However, we must take into account that some women do not wish 434 to be housed locally in a refuge because they are fearful of violence from their partner. I am sure that my honourable friend's group will look at those issues.

§ Baroness Jay of Paddington
My Lords, does the Minister agree, given the new group that is being set up, that it would be helpful if the Department of Health and other departments were to urge the Government to make the guidelines under the Housing Act statutory so that there would be the possibility of influencing local authority funding and local authorities could not escape what would have become a statutory responsibility to fund women's refuges? That would give an understanding that there was special provision for women and children at risk.

§ Baroness Cumberlege
My Lords, some local authorities are doing very well on that front. Today I visited the local borough of Southwark, which has not been one of the favoured children in terms of local authority action. However, since last week that borough has not had a single person in bed and breakfast accommodation. It is clearly dealing well with the issues at this time. If that borough, which has some of the highest indices of deprivation, can do it one wonders why other authorities cannot do it also. With regard to the code of practice, the Department of the Environment is planning to monitor the operation of the code which clearly gives sound advice. Some authorities are following the code and are proving to be successful in that regard but others are not.

§ Baroness Hamwee
My Lords, will the Minister accept that there is considerable welcome among the various agencies concerned for the proposal to set up an interdepartmental group? The Minister will recognise that the matter crosses departmental boundaries. Will the Treasury be a part of that group?

§ Baroness Cumberlege
My Lords, I believe that that will be the case.