Written questions by Coutinho.

Whether (a) her Department and (b) the arms length bodies sponsored by her Department are compliant with the Supreme Court ruling in the case of For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers [2025].

We have set out our expectation that all duty bearers, including Departments and arm’s-length bodies, follow the law as clarified by the Supreme Court ruling and seek specialist legal advice where necessary. The Prime Minister has underlined this recently.The Equality and Human Rights Commission has submitted a draft Code of Practice on services, public functions and associations to Ministers, and we are reviewing it with the care it deserves. This will provide further guidance to duty bearers.

Whether her Department has entered into any contracts with external organisations to review the use of risk assessment tools to prevent violence against women and girls, including the Domestic Abuse, Stalking, Harassment and Honour Based Violence risk checklist, known as DASH.

I am aware of challenges in the existing system for identifying, assessing and responding to domestic abuse risk, and we are committed to ensuring it is as effective as possible.It is vital that the police are supported with the right training and tools to identify offences and protect victims. That is why, as part of our £13 million investment into the new National Centre for Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) and Public Protection, the Centre will conduct a robust review of the range of risk assessment tools available to policing to drive improved practice nationwide, pinpointing areas for improvement.We have separately funded the charity SafeLives to conduct engagement with the VAWG sector and other experts on the existing risk system. This will inform new non-statutory guidance on best practice for effective multi-agency working on domestic abuse and risk.