Written questions by Champion.

Pursuant to the answer of 24 October to Question 11004 on Cars: Digital Technology, what steps her Department is taking to tackle the misuse of digitally connected cars by domestic abusers.

This Government has set out our ambition to halve violence against women and girls within a decade, and that will include tackling domestic abuse in all its forms.Digitally connected cars could risk the safety of women and girls if perpetrators can use them to track and control their victims. Technology-facilitated domestic abuse is a particularly insidious form of domestic abuse, and the Controlling or Coercive Behaviour Statutory Guidance references such behaviours.We will go further than before to deliver a cross-government transformative approach to halve all forms of violence against women and girls, underpinned by a new VAWG strategy to be published next year. This will include our approach to tackling technology-facilitated domestic abuse.We are also clear that the industry must play their part in helping to prevent their technologies being used for harmful purposes through safer by design approaches. I would gladly meet with manufacturers to discuss these approaches further.

Pursuant to the Answer of 14 October 2024 to Question 6246 on Animal Experiments, what harms were experienced by dogs used in research on muscular dystrophy; and how much funding is being provided for human-specific research into that condition.

The Home Office assigns severity classification to protocols in accordance with the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (as amended) which is published at: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1986/14/contents. The classification takes account of the highest severity likely to be experienced by any animal used in the protocol and takes account of the pain, suffering, distress and lasting harm that an animal is likely to experience, after applying all the appropriate refinement techniques. Of the 21 dogs used for creation and breeding in research on muscular dystrophy, 15 were subject to ‘Mild’ severity and 6 ‘Moderate’ severity.The Home Office assures that, in every research proposal, animals are replaced with non-animal alternatives wherever possible, the number of animals are reduced to the minimum necessary to achieve the result sought, and that, for those animals which must be used, procedures are refined as much as possible to minimise their suffering.The Department for Science, Innovation & Technology (DSIT) is leading on plans to accelerate the development, validation and uptake of alternatives to animal testing.

What support her Department is providing to help victims of sexual exploitation exit prostitution in Rotherham.

The trafficking of women and girls for sexual exploitation is a truly horrific crime. This Government has set out a mission to halve violence against women and girls in a decade, and we will use all the levers available to us to deliver this ambition.The Government is working closely with law enforcement to tackle the drivers of trafficking for sexual exploitation, including through operational intensifications to target perpetrators. This Government will also work closely with the voluntary and community sector to help sexually exploited people and ensure that those who want to exit prostitution are able to. We have several ways to estimate the scale of sexual exploitation. Victims of sexual exploitation make up a significant proportion of referrals to the National Referral Mechanism (the framework for identifying and referring potential victims of modern slavery to appropriate support). The most recent statistics show that in 2023, sexual exploitation accounted for 10% (1,679) of all referrals, a 2% increase from the previous year, with 9% (1,470) of referrals relating to women. The Home Office does not hold data specific to Rotherham. However, between January and June 2024, there were 25 potential victims of modern slavery referred to the NRM who reported (either part or whole) sexual exploitation which was disclosed as occurring in South Yorkshire.To help support people at risk of being sexually exploited, Changing Lives has received £1.36m from the Home Office over three years (2022-2025) for their Net-Reach project, which provides online outreach, early intervention and intensive support for women and girls at high-risk of exploitation and abuse. The Net-Reach project operates in several locations in England, including South Yorkshire. In addition, the Modern Slavery Victim Care Contract provides support to adult potential and confirmed victims of modern slavery in England and Wales, including a support worker to help them access wider services, such as medical treatment, legal aid, legal representatives, and legal advice.