MINISTERS have reversed several changes made by peers to landmark domestic abuse reforms.

The House of Lords had backed a Domestic Abuse Bill amendment to flag, track and target repeat perpetrators and stalkers.

Under the change made in the Lords, culprits would have been put on the violent and sex offender register and subjected to monitoring and management through the Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (Mappa).

But, on Thursday, MPs voted 351 to 226, majority 125 to strip the amendment from the Bill.

The votes were split along party lines, with only Conservative MPs voting "aye" to remove the repeat offender changes. Only Jason McCartney, Conservative MP for Colne Valley, broke ranks to vote "no".

All of Westminster's three Plaid Cymru MP's voted against removing the changes. As did all of Labour's MPs, with the exception of Karen Buck, of Westminster North, for whom no vote was recorded.

This is now MPs in North Wales, Mid Wales, and Cheshire West voted:

  • Mike Amesbury, Weaver Vale - No
  • Sarah Atherton, Conservative, Wrexham - Aye
  • Simon Baynes, Conservative, Clwyd South - Aye
  • Virginia Crosbie, Conservative, Ynys Mon - Aye
  • James Davies, Conservative, Vale of Clwyd - Aye
  • David Jones, Conservative, Clwyd West- Aye
  • Fay Jones, Conservative, Brecon and Radnorshire - Aye
  • Ben Lake, Plaid Cymru, Ceridigion - No
  • Justin Madders, Labour, Ellesmere Port and Neston - No
  • Chris Matheson, Labour, Chester - No
  • Robin Millar, Conservative, Aberconwy - Aye
  • Rob Roberts, Conservative, Delyn - Aye
  • Mark Tami, Labour, Alyn & Deeside - No
  • Liz Saville Roberts, Plaid Cymru, Dwyfor Meirionnydd - No
  • Craig Williams, Conservative, Montgomeryshire - Aye
  • Hywel Williams, Plaid Cymru, Arfon - No
Clwyd West MPs - Justin Madders, Chris Matheson, and Mike Amesbury

Clwyd West MPs - Justin Madders, Chris Matheson, and Mike Amesbury

Home Office minister Victoria Atkins claimed the proposals to introduce a new category for managing high-harm domestic abuse perpetrators would add complexity.

Ms Atkins told the Commons: “This is an objective with which we can all agree, but we have concerns about how the amendment would work out.

“The first limb of the amendment seeks, in effect, to create a new category of offender to be managed under multi-agency public protection arrangements, commonly referred to as Mappa.

“To put this into context, last year nearly 86,000 offenders were managed by the Mappa arrangements. The Government believes that creating a new Mappa category for high-harm domestic abuse and stalking perpetrators would bring in added complexity to the Mappa framework without compensating benefits.

“The Criminal Justice Act 2003 already provides for serial and high-harm offenders to be managed under Mappa. The real issue is not therefore the statutory framework, but how it is applied in practice. Here we accept there is more to do and we are strengthening the Mappa statutory guidance to include sections on domestic abuse.”

 

Domestic abuse

Instead, ministers tabled a new amendment in which the Government agrees to publish a strategy for prosecution and management of offenders involved in domestic abuse.

This must be published within 12 months of the legislation becoming law and be kept under review by the secretary of state.

MPs also removed amendments designed to prevent the details of a person seeking help being used for immigration control purposes and to enable domestic abuse survivors to resolve their immigration status.

Ms Atkins said the Government did not accept the proposition that an individual in the UK on a temporary basis should have a route to settlement “by virtue” of being a domestic abuse victim.

She added: “We want to help such victims recover and escape such relationships.”

Ms Atkins also announced that Southall Black Sisters will run the £1.5 million Migrant Victims Scheme.

For Labour, shadow Home Office minister Jess Phillips said the pilot scheme of support for migrant victims of domestic abuse who do not have access to public funds is “not good enough”.

She also argued the Lords amendments do not “allow some mythical path to dodge immigration processes”.

Wrexham and Flintshire MPs - Sarah Atherton, Simon Baynes, Rob Roberts, and Mark Tami

Wrexham and Flintshire MPs - Sarah Atherton, Simon Baynes, Rob Roberts, and Mark Tami

Conservative former prime minister Theresa May said the Government had made a “clear commitment” on migrant victims of domestic abuse “ensuring that victims of domestic abuse are treated as victims whatever their immigration status is”.

The Bill aims to put an end to the so-called “rough sex defence”, recognise children as victims of domestic abuse and criminalise in England and Wales threats to share intimate images of another person without their consent.

Other reforms contained within the legislation include the first legal Government definition of domestic abuse, which would include economic abuse and controlling and manipulative non-physical behaviour.

The Government also made a concession in the Lords over recording misogyny as a hate crime.

The Bill will return to the Lords for further consideration as it bids to become law after more than three years of consideration.