It is imperative that we tackle the scourge of domestic abuse, and this Bill will go some way to doing that.  I was therefore glad to see it pass through the Report Stage without the need for a vote and with cross-party support. 

One of the key elements of the Bill is the creation of a Domestic Abuse Commissioner to lead on driving improvements on the response to domestic abuse in the UK, championing victims, and making recommendations on what more should be done to better protect victims and bring more offenders to justice. The creation of this post is long overdue. 

However, the Bill is not perfect, and the Opposition did try to introduce amendments to improve it.  For example, we wanted to ensure that victims with no recourse to public funds could access domestic abuse support despite their immigration status. 

Unfortunately, these amendments did not pass, but this Bill is still a step in the right direction and my Opposition colleagues and I will continue to push for improved domestic abuse legislation and provision in the future.