Part of the debate – in Westminster Hall at 3:30 pm on 16 March 2005.
Vera Baird
Labour, Redcar
3:30,
16 March 2005
I congratulate my hon. Friend on the conscientious way in which she has pursued the case and supported the family's quest for an inquiry. Has she had an opportunity to note section 9 of the domestic violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004, which allows the Secretary of State to order a review of any domestic violence killing? The interesting point is that the provision does not seem to say that that is applicable only to deaths after the passage of the Act. It may be that the Secretary of State has the power to order Thames Valley police to order an inquiry.
Secretary of State was originally the title given to the two officials who conducted the Royal Correspondence under Elizabeth I. Now it is the title held by some of the more important Government Ministers, for example the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
violence occurring within the family