Welfare Reform Bill

First, I thank the noble Baroness, Lady Thomas, for taking the lead on this amendment on my behalf. I am in the middle of a difficult terrorist trial and it was looking unlikely that I would be here today. I am glad that I was able to make it and can add my words to those of the noble Baroness who has argued the case beautifully. There is little that I can add. Over the years, I have been deeply involved with cases of domestic violence. When I was a much younger lawyer, it was a regular part of my practice. Now, at the much more serious end of crime, it is usually when there is a fatality that I am involved and that is deeply traumatic. The trauma of domestic violence cannot be underestimated. In the work that I now do with many of the organisations represented here today on the listening benches, we who are involved in any capacity with domestic violence know that the toll it takes is considerable. Women and children living in households where there is domestic violence take a long time to recover from its effects. The noble Baroness, Lady Thomas, mentioned the respite of three months. We should be thinking of something more considerable. I hope that the Minister will be able to give us some solace on this and say that we might be talking about more than three months. I shall explain why. With regard to the exercise of discretion by those in the offices who will deal with people coming for jobseeker’s allowance, there is still considerable ignorance about domestic violence. People still think that once a partner has left or a woman has left a situation of domestic violence, that is the end of things. The toll of long periods of domestic violence is so great that it often takes a very long time for people to feel able properly to engage again with the world. The idea of being able to find employment and hold down a job is truly daunting. It will take a lot of support and help for women to reach that point, often because their self-esteem has been totally undermined. I want to emphasise the impact of domestic violence on children. It took many years for the judges before whom we would argue these cases to understand that when a woman was being battered it was abuse of the children too. The children became traumatised, suffered emotionally and were often damaged by witnessing the violence in their home. Those children are often very needy and need their parent in the months afterwards. It feels like a bereavement, and there are often complicated emotions because the children often also have great affection and love for the abusive parent. Seeing their parents separating is often deeply traumatic for the children, and the mother is especially needed in the months that follow. Therefore, I urge the Committee to be sensitive about pressing the woman into work during that time. I return to the matter raised by the noble Baroness, Lady Thomas. The easy response would be to say that there will be discretion for those interviewing these women—it is largely women—but that does not give enough solace to those of us who know about these experiences. Too many people do not understand the impact of domestic violence, particularly long-term domestic violence. We are hoping that the Minister will be able to give us comfort by saying that the Government will table an amendment to provide the protections for women that we want to see in the Bill. If welfare is about anything, it is about protecting the most vulnerable. Domestic violence is one of those areas. We know the social cost of domestic violence. In the longer term, we are talking about the underperformance of children in education and the higher incidence of mental illness as children become older when they have been brought up in violent homes. We know the cost in terms of anti-social behaviour. Children often act out because they have been brought up in abusive environments. If we can deal with this sensitively early on by providing support to a mother going through this experience, it would be important for society as a whole. I hope that the Minister will see this in the context of the wider work that has been done by government on domestic violence. The Government have a good record on putting domestic violence on the agenda. All political parties accept that this is an area that we have to deal with well if we are going to heal some of the problems in our society. This means that in a Bill as important as this we have to make sure that we are alert to the ways in which domestic violence has long-term impact on those who are on the receiving end. To urge them too early into work will not be beneficial to any of those involved or to society as a whole. That is why this is such an important issue for those who are creating this legislation.