A Bill To make provision in relation to domestic abuse; to make provision for and in connection with the establishment of a Domestic Abuse Commissioner; to prohibit cross-examination in person in family proceedings in certain circumstances; to make provision about certain violent or sexual offences, and offences involving other abusive behaviour, committed outside the United Kingdom; and for connected purposes.
House of Commons
4 November 2019
May contain errors — check source documents for definitive information.
The Domestic Abuse Bill aims to strengthen protections for victims, create a Domestic Abuse Commissioner to oversee government action, ban cross-examination in person in many family-court cases, and extend the law’s reach to offences committed abroad. It has moved through the Commons since 2019, with Lords amendments in 2021 that the Commons then voted to disagree with, and it is currently being considered further at Committee stage in the Commons. The document trail shows the government outlining key priorities (housing for homeless victims, cross-examination protections, and the Commission) and planning amendments for Committee stage, with continued focus on Istanbul Convention ratification and international aspects.
The bill began in the Commons in 2019, went through initial readings and committee work, then went to the Lords where amendments were proposed. In April 2021 the Commons voted to disagree with many Lords amendments, and the measure is now being refined further at Committee stage in the Commons.
Across 15 votes on Lords amendments in April 2021, Conservative MPs largely supported the government’s stance to disagree with the Lords’ changes, while Labour and Liberal Democrat MPs largely opposed those motions and preferred to retain the Lords’ amendments. Examples: Conservatives 1,129 Aye / 158 No; Labour 279 Aye / 1,911 No; Lib Dems 22 Aye / 143 No.
Generated 21 February 2026
16 Jul 2019
2 Oct 2019
7 Oct 2019
29 Oct 2019, 31 Oct 2019
Based on 15 recorded votes • Sorted by % Aye
The letter thanks MPs for Second Reading and outlines the Government’s positions on key issues in the Domestic Abuse Bill, including priority housing for homeless victims, cross-examination protections in family courts, and the Domestic Abuse Commissioner, with reviews and possible amendments planned for Committee stage. It also commits to stronger perpetrator interventions, ratifying the Istanbul Convention, extending extra-territorial jurisdiction, and ongoing monitoring of prosecutions and data, along with consideration of related changes such as age reporting and the scope of the coercive behaviour offence.
