What progress is being made in combating domestic abuse.

A National Group to Address Domestic Abuse was established in April and continues to take forward the implementation of the National Strategy to Address Domestic Abuse in Scotland. Three issue-based working groups have been set up: to review legislation relating to domestic abuse; to review recommendations on refuge provision, and to develop a prevention strategy.Significant resources have been committed to this implementation including a total of £12 million for a Refuge Development Programme and £6 million over four years for the Domestic Abuse Service Development Fund.On 6 December we launched a new phase of our awareness raising campaign. Targeted at 16 to 25-year-olds, its aim is to reach new audiences through the use of different media, such as beermats, outdoor posters, convenience advertising and a website.