The Domestic Abuse Bill will prohibit perpetrators of abuse from cross-examining their victims in person in the family courts. This is according to policy paper from the Home Office on the measures in the Bill.
The Domestic Abuse Bill will:
- Provide for a new Domestic Abuse Protection Notice and Domestic Abuse Protection Order
- place the guidance supporting the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme (“Clare’s law”) on a statutory footing
- Create a new domestic abuse offence in Northern Ireland to criminalise controlling or coercive behaviour
The report finds:
- The majority of the provisions in the Bill apply to England and Wales, or England, only
- The current estimated cost of the measures in the bill applying to England and Wales is between £34 to £43 million per year once fully implemented
