§ Mr. Jim CunninghamTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment has been made by his Department of the match between the numbers of women's refuges and trends in the levels of domestic violence. [38468]
§ Mr MacleanThe official and ministerial groups on domestic violence are currently examining the extent of refuge provision. The underlying trends in domestic violence are particularly hard to ascertain due to the hidden nature of the crime. For this reason, measures are also being considered to improve the quality of the statistical information available on the level of domestic violence.
§ Mr. CunninghamTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many interpreters are offered at women's refuges; in what regions they are offered; and what languages they speak. [38473]
§ Mr. MacleanInformation on the number of interpreters at women's refuges is not recorded centrally, and is a matter for individual refuges.
§ Mr. CunninghamTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what(a) medical facilities and (b) advice facilities are available at women's refuges. [38465]
§ Mr. BowisI have been asked to reply.
Occupants of women's refuges are entitled to the same range of medical facilities as any other member of the public who registers with a general practitioner. The range of advice facilities available varies considerably, depending to a large extent on the particular problems of the users of the refuge.
645W