Asked by: Craig Williams (Conservative - Montgomeryshire)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps the Government is taking to protect vulnerable witnesses when they testify in court.
Answered by Oliver Heald
We are committed to helping vulnerable and intimidated witnesses give their best possible evidence so that offenders are brought to justice.
A range of measures exist to help reduce the anxiety of going to court. These include giving evidence away from the court room, from behind a screen or via an intermediary.
We announced on 15 September that the pre-recording of cross examination of vulnerable victims and witnesses away from the court room will be rolled-out to all Crown Courts from early 2017.
Options for improving protections for the vulnerable in the family justicy system are now being considered as part of work on wider family justice strategy.
Asked by: Craig Williams (Conservative - Montgomeryshire)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps the Government is taking to improve education in prisons.
Answered by Sam Gyimah
Education is key to helping prisoners turn their lives around and in particular to securing employment which we know reduces reoffending. We realise that many prisoners have led challenging lives and may have missed out on the opportunity to learn. For example nearly one third struggle with learning difficulties or disabilities and only a quarter enter employment on release. Dame Sally Coates was asked to lead an independent review of education in prisons. This was published on 18th May 2016 and we have accepted in principle all the recommendations made.