Safeguards against domestic abuse 'are not sufficient'

EXISTING safeguards against domestic abuse are "not sufficient", community safety minister Fergus Ewing told MSPs yesterday.

It remains a "stain on Scottish society", he told Holyrood's Justice Committee, adding that the government was broadly supportive of a Private Member's Bill aimed at tackling the problem.

Mr Ewing said he agreed with shortcomings identified in the current system to deal with domestic abuse.

And he added: "The current remedies are not sufficient and, to some extent, may not be used frequently, if at all.

"That is why I've indicated our support, broadly, for the principal measures in this bill."

Among the propsed changes in the bill is the removal of the current need to show a "course of conduct" by an abuser before non-harassment orders can be granted in domestic abuse cases.