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Violence Against Women

If I said that I was delighted to attend this debate, it would be a gross understatement. The number of debates on this subject has been pretty low over the years. In a way, I am delighted that the Government initiated this debate, but I would have much preferred a Member of Parliament to have done so, because we are the ones who are supposed to be scrutinising, commenting and offering our advice, and that has not happened particularly well. I do not know if any members of the Select Committee on Home Affairs are present, but there are not too many of them if that is so. I am disappointed, because that Committee that produced one of the few reports of violence in the family—most of it on one aspect. I do not wish to spend too much time on history, but history is important. A couple of hon. Members present go back a long way on the staff side—not of the present Government but the last one—and almost as long as several of us have been here in the House.