Parliament praise for Havant charity which supports abuse victims

The praise came after Havant MP Alan Mak asked a question in the House of Commons.

Mr Mak asked Sir Oliver Heald, the Minister for Courts and Justice, about government changes which aim to make it easier for victims of domestic violence to access legal aid.

These changes include removing the time limit on all forms of evidence and accepting evidence from domestic violence support organisations.

In his answer Sir Oliver praised the work done on the issue by domestic abuse charities such as the Southern Domestic Abuse Service (SDAS) based in Havant.

He said: ‘I am happy to pay tribute to organisations that help victims of domestic violence on their work, and I know from talking to Mr Mak, who is a strong advocate for SDAS, that the service in Havant is excellent.’

Mr Mak has been a supporter of SDAS and last year ‘bought a brick’ to help the charity raise funds to build a safe house in south Hampshire.

Claire Lambon, CEO of SDAS, said: ‘We were very pleased to be mentioned in parliament by the minister and we thank Alan for his support of SDAS both locally and nationally.

‘We have been thrilled with the local support for our “Buy a Brick” Campaign to raise funds to purchase our own refuge to ensure that victims and survivors of domestic abuse are able to access specialist services when they are needed.’