Nickie Aiken, Member of Parliament for the Cities of London & Westminster, spoke out during the Child Support Collection (Domestic Abuse) Bill debate, brought forward by Sally Ann-Hart MP (Hastings & Rye).
The Bill, which passed its Third Reading and moved on to its Report Stage, aims to help survivors of domestic abuse and ensures child maintenance support is not used as another tool in the box for perpetrators of domestic abuse.
In the House of Commons, Nickie highlighted to the Minister for Social Mobility, Youth and Progression, Mims Davies MP, that supporting the Bill sends a very clear message to survivors of domestic abuse that they will be protected all the way through, even after the abuse has stopped. It’s an incredibly important Bill which Nickie was proud to support.
Speaking in the House of Commons, Nickie said,
"I welcome the Bill and congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Hastings and Rye (Sally-Ann Hart). Does the Minister agree that the Bill builds on what the Government did in the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, on the Bill Committee of which I was very proud to serve? This Bill sends a very clear message to survivors of domestic abuse that we will protect them all the way through, even after abuse has stopped, and that child maintenance support will not be used as another tool in the box by perpetrators of domestic abuse."
Mims Davies MP, Minister for Social Mobility, Youth and Progression, replied
"I thank my hon. Friend for raising that point, particularly as we approach International Women’s Day. My hon. Friend the Member for Great Grimsby spoke about the same issue. The Domestic Abuse Act brings children into scope, which is incredibly important. We know that abuse affects not just partners but whole families.
"I spent a very brief time as Minister responsible for safeguarding, but I would like to use this opportunity at the Dispatch Box to say that this is about criminality in the home. It is not acceptable, and it is not the way people should be behaving. We will make sure that these processes work for all types of families, who are very often in the most complex scenarios. Ultimately, using finance or any other form of weaponisation is absolutely wrong and abhorrent.
"I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Cities of London and Westminster (Nickie Aiken) for making that important point."
