To ask the Minister of Justice to detail her position on the domestic and sexual violence advocacy service proposals, in relation to her Department’s response in the Stakeholder Assurance Group minutes of 17 August 2020.

The approach of my officials reflects the position I have agreed as Minister following consideration of the scoping exercise and options available. The intention of the new service is to provide the best possible level of support for victims across Northern Ireland within the resources that may be available. The model developed was fully informed by comprehensive research to determine the current level of service in place across Northern Ireland as well as within neighbouring jurisdictions. This research identified gaps in a number of areas which could not be ignored and which will be addressed via the introduction of a singular advocacy service for all victims of domestic and sexual violence and abuse, regardless of age or gender, who are engaged within the criminal justice system.

The advocacy service proposals were consulted upon extensively, and over a prolonged period of time, with statutory and voluntary sector partners. I consider that as domestic and sexual violence can be intrinsically linked, with commonality in terms of need, providing a singular service will, amongst other things, help ensure that a high quality consist service can be applied in support of both important areas and that the service can be made available regardless of a person’s age, gender or where they live in Northern Ireland