Women and Girls: Isle of Wight

Women on the Isle of Wight are among the bravest, smartest and funniest people I know—and that is not just because my wife, who is one of them, is watching. They understand the added challenges that come with living on an island. Some extra burdens are to be expected, but the burden we are placing on them now is a burden too far. Whether it is in respect of healthcare inequalities, domestic abuse, limited job opportunities, or the combination of all those factors, the women and girls of the island deserve better, and I will keep fighting to make sure that they get it.

My hon. Friend made the point really powerfully that women’s equality and economic growth go hand in hand. The work to ensure access to opportunity for all young people must continue across the whole of our country, including on the Isle of Wight. On his point about statistical underachievement compared with national averages, it is important to understand the reasons for that, be they environmental or anything else, so that all our young people everywhere can access to the same opportunity. I am sure this will not be our last conversation on this range of issues, given the work he is doing in his constituency.

I will briefly discuss violence against women and girls, which my hon. Friend also raised. Work is under way to protect women and girls across the United Kingdom from violence, including in the Isle of Wight. My hon. Friend will be aware of our target to halve violence against women and girls in the next decade. We have committed £53 million of funding over four years to roll out the Drive project across England and Wales, which focuses on perpetrators, working directly with those causing harm in their relationships, to prevent abusive behaviour and protect victims. That also relates to a point raised by the hon. Member for Strangford (Jim Shannon) about the number of calls a woman may make to the police about domestic abuse. Earlier intervention, before abuse escalates, will be an important part of prevention and ensuring that women are protected from abuse.

Last year, we launched the new domestic abuse protection orders in selected police forces and courts. The Home Office and the Ministry of Justice recently announced that more than 1,000 victims have been protected through those protection orders since their roll-out just a year ago. We have also set out new measures to tackle stalking and spiking, to improve the support and response that victims receive. This month the Government will fund intensified police activity across the country to target spiking, reaffirming our commitment to tackling that abhorrent crime.

Victims deserve better support at every stage, which is why we will introduce domestic abuse experts in 999 control rooms, and specialist rape and sexual offences teams in every police force. We are also looking to ensure that victims get the justice they deserve. That includes fast-tracking rape cases with specialist courts in England and Wales, and providing free legal advice to support victims and ensure that their rights are upheld. It is the case that survivors on the Isle of Wight will face significantly higher financial barriers when fleeing abuse, in part due to the cost of crossing the Solent. It is useful to mention that, since 2021, local authorities in England have a duty, under part 4 of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, to ensure that victims and their children can access support in safe accommodation when they need it.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government allocated £160 million in 2025-26, this financial year, to support delivery, £30 million more than the previous year, of which the Isle of Wight received just under £400,000 through the safe accommodation grant. My hon. Friend the Member for Isle of Wight West might already have explored that option. It would be for the Isle of Wight to allocate that funding based on local need. He may want to explore how that has been used and the extent to which it has been needed. Future funding will be determined through future business planning.

We are also making important progress in other areas. I will make a few more remarks about women in the workplace and access to opportunity. I am sure it is an issue for us all that the gender pay gap still exists. Importantly, it decreased to 12.8% in April 2025, down from 13.1% in April 2024. We are pleased to see that progress, but I am sure my hon. Friend will agree that we can and must go further. That is why, as part of the Employment Rights Bill, we are taking the first steps towards requiring employers to publish action plans alongside their gender pay gap figures. Those action plans will detail how employers are narrowing their gaps and supporting employees, particularly through the menopause.

Prevention and education are fundamental to the approach that we take to protecting women and girls from violence, which we know is happening increasingly early. We also know that it is an issue with teenagers. It is extremely important to tackle the root causes of these crimes, which are often driven by social media. That includes supporting our education system to teach children about respectful and healthy relationships and consent. We are committed to providing the right support for victims of VAWG, including domestic abuse. In May 2025, we announced £19.9 million of investment to provide vital support to victims of VAWG. That includes £6 million for helplines and £1.96 million for the flexible fund to support victims to flee abuse.

I will now make some remarks about our women’s health strategy. Supporting women’s health is also part of supporting women to be able to achieve their ambitions, to be able to work, and to be with their families and friends. We have been making progress with our 10-year NHS plan, which sets out the inequities that lead to poor health, including for women. We have also made significant progress on ensuring extra appointments to tackle the huge backlog of NHS appointments and waiting lists, which we inherited from the previous Government. We have delivered 5.2 million extra appointments in our first year of government and we have also made emergency hormonal contraception free in pharmacies across England.

Indeed, we are also adding menopause questions to the NHS health check. We are also renewing the women’s health strategy to build on these achievements—this includes substantial investment in cutting-edge research, funding of a world-leading trial in which almost 700,000 women will take part, and testing how cutting-edge Al tools can be used to catch breast cancer cases earlier. It is also important that we continue to look at ways that we can introduce new drugs, and support earlier detection and treatment of conditions such as endometriosis.

I again thank my hon. Friend the Member for Isle of Wight West for putting the issues facing women and girls in the Isle of Wight firmly on the agenda and for the work he does in representing his constituents. I am sure that he will continue discussions with Ministers across the range of Departments that he has spoken about, in relation to health, education, local government, policing and crime, and that he will continue to make a huge impact in the Isle of Wight.