Asked by: Elfyn Llwyd (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department has taken to prevent sensitive data relating to a victim of (a) domestic violence and (b) other crimes being disclosed during a court hearing.
Answered by Shailesh Vara
This question relates to the disclosure of sensitive information in the civil courts, where robust measures are already in place.
Judges have the power to order non disclosure of details, to have cases heard in private or evidence given via video link or from behind a screen, and to make other orders as necessary to preserve the address or other personal details of a victim of domestic abuse, harassment or stalking. For this to happen it is important that the victim brings any issues to the attention of the judge at the earliest opportunity so that appropriate care can be taken throughout the case.
More broadly, in its 2014 Action Plan, A Call to End Violence against Women and Girls, the Government has committed to develop a code of practice to ensure “safe addresses” and other personal information about the identity and whereabouts of victims of domestic and sexual violence are properly protected.
Asked by: Elfyn Llwyd (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what funding the Government provides for victims' support organisations in England and Wales.
Answered by Mike Penning
This Government is committed to ensuring that victims of crime have access to high-quality, effective and timely support to help them cope and, as far as possible, recover from the effects of crime. The Ministry of Justice has made more money than ever before available for this purpose, increasing the contribution offenders make to the costs of providing support and have more than doubled the budget under this Government to over £92million for 2015/16.
Locally accountable Police and Crime Commissioners are now responsible for the provision of support services in their areas and will receive the bulk of the available MoJ funding with which to do so. This is £63.15m in 2015/16.
Some services remain nationally commissioned. This includes support for families bereaved by homicide, support for victims of rape and modern slavery (jointly funded with the Home Office), and support for witnesses at court. National services have recently been competitively re-commissioned.