Adam Tomkins

The Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Bill would give courts and police extra powers to impose requirements and prohibitions on suspected perpetrators of domestic abuse, such as removing them from a shared home, or stopping them contacting the person deemed to be at risk.

The proposed domestic abuse protection orders (DAPOs) and domestic abuse protection notices (DAPNs) would remove the current need for some victims of domestic abuse to effectively make themselves homeless to get away from their situation, and reduce the opportunities for abuse to take place.

The bill would also allow social landlords to end perpetrators’ tenancies in shared homes without removing victims.

So-called emergency barring orders (EBOs) were first discussed during the committee’s previous scrutiny of a government bill on domestic abuse, at which time the committee called for more detail on how they would work in practice.

Committee convener Adam Tomkins said: “The committee has previously expressed an interest in having short-term legal mechanisms in place to better support victims of domestic abuse, such as the proposed orders and notices.

“While clearly these may help a number of individuals in difficult situations, this legislation proposes new legal remedies. The committee will want to know how these will work in practice, and how the government proposes ensuring their appropriate use.

“The committee hopes to gather a wide range of views in order to help us scrutinise these proposals and ensure legislation that works for those in need of the protection it may offer.”

The call for views is online and open until Friday 4 December.