Portfolio Question Time – in the Scottish Parliament at 2:30 pm on 3 October 2024.
To ask the Scottish Government what its proposed timeline and target date are for the establishment of a leavers fund to support victims of domestic abuse to leave abusive relationships. (S6O-03802)
I confirm that the Scottish Government received the final evaluation of the fund to leave pilot from Scottish Women’s Aid in August 2024. That will inform a wider assessment of the pilot, which will consider how it delivered against its objectives, how it improved housing outcomes for women and/or prevented their homelessness and what lessons were learned during it.
The assessment stage is near completion, and we will then be in a position to set out the next steps.
The number of domestic abuse incidents across Scotland remains high, with nearly 62,000 incidents recorded in 2022-23, according to Police Scotland statistics. That equates to almost 170 incidents of domestic abuse per day. In the case of Dumfries and Galloway, there has been a reported 50 per cent increase in calls to local support services. Statistics show that around 23 per cent of women who become homeless do so as a direct result of violence or abusive behaviour.
I welcome the cabinet secretary’s explanation of why we do not have the so-called fund to leave, but I encourage the minister to bring that forward as soon as possible.
I thank Finlay Carson for highlighting the plight of women who are facing such atrocious circumstances in the face of domestic violence. Our delivering equally safe fund is providing £7 million this year to local women’s aid groups to support services for women and children. We have introduced provisions in the Housing (Scotland) Bill that, if passed, will put a duty on social landlords to develop and implement a domestic abuse policy outlining how they will support their tenants who are at risk of homelessness, including by protecting the rights of women to stay safe in their own homes. We will work closely with the housing and violence against women and girls sectors to develop statutory guidance to accompany that duty.
As I referred to in my previous answer, as soon as the assessment stage is completed, I will be in a better position to update Finlay Carson and everyone else.
Can the minister say what we can learn, and apply here in Scotland, from the Domestic Abuse (Safe Leave) Act (Northern Ireland) 2022, which was introduced by the then Green MLA Rachel Woods, and which created an entitlement to 10 days of paid leave
“for victims of domestic abuse; and for connected purposes”?
I thank Maggie Chapman for raising a very interesting point. Obviously, I will need further time to consider that, and I would welcome the two of us getting together to have further discussions on the matter.