Having been a government minister for the last 7 years, I have been restricted to speaking only about issues for which I had ministerial responsibility. Being back on the back benches, I am now able to ask questions and make speeches about any issue. One of those important issues that I want to speak about is domestic abuse, which I did have ministerial responsibility for when I was in the Home Office. I was pleased therefore to be able to speak in the debate last week about the new Domestic Abuse Bill. Based on the messages that I have received since that speech, this is something that is personally important to many people in the Moorlands.
Much has changed since I dealt with this issue as a minister. We have more trained police officers, more support services, new tools and weapons to tackle the crime, including the offence of coercive control, which I introduced as a minister. But there is still much that needs to change. That is why this new law is so important.
As anyone who watched any of the debate will have seen, this is a crime that can affect anyone, no matter their background, education, ethnicity or gender. The stories that were told of victims who MPs had worked with, knew personally, or who were MPs themselves were incredibly moving. This debate showed Parliament at its best with cross party support for new measures, a determination to work together to tackle the problems and polite, respectful language.
In Staffordshire, our Police and Crime Commissioner, Matthew Ellis, has made this issue a priority. The New Era service, which offers complete support to victims, handled more than 4,500 enquiries in the first nine months since its launch. If you need help you can find the service at www.new-era.uk or on 0300 303 3778.