MINISTERS and campaigners warned the government today that it is not acting fast enough in its response to violence against women and girls after Whitehall pledged to halve incidents within a decade.

The cross-party public accounts committee (PAC) heard evidence suggesting Whitehall is “oblivious” to the scale of the issue and that it was being outpaced in its efforts to respond amid soaring cases.

Ministers also warned the government lacked understanding of local support networks, as shelters are forced to turn away 65 per cent of people seeking help, while other services turn away about half of requests.