Asked by: Lucy Allan (Conservative - Telford)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to support victims within the criminal justice system.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
The recently completed Victims’ Bill consultation is a critical step towards introducing a Victims’ Law – part of our plan for doing better by victims, from the moment a crime is committed through to cases being heard in court.
In particular, we have consulted on requirements for prosecutors to meet with victims pre-charge and pre-trial, the use of community impact statements, improving accountability of criminal justice agencies, increasing the Victim Surcharge and wider support for victims.
Victim support services are crucial to helping victims remain engaged in the criminal justice process. The Department has provided £150.5 million to victim support services this financial year, with funding increasing to £185 million by 2024/25. Hence, this Government has trebled the amount of funding for victims compared to pre-2010 levels.
This will enable us to increase the number of Independent Sexual Violence Advisors (ISVAs) and Independent Domestic Violence Advisors (IDVAs) we fund to over 1,000, alongside other key services including a 24/7 support service for victims of sexual violence.
Asked by: Lucy Allan (Conservative - Telford)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
What steps his Department is taking to help reduce the spread of covid-19 in prisons.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
As community rates increase, the risk of outbreaks in prisons inevitably rises. We have planned for this and have a range of measures in place, informed by public health advice, to protect our staff, prisoners and the NHS over Winter.
Our hard-working prison staff are continuing to implement regimes that have been adapted for safety, with social distancing and PPE use. We are also quarantining new arrivals, isolating those with symptoms, and shielding the vulnerable.
These interventions are supporting us to minimise importation, limit the spread of infection and protect against explosive outbreaks.
Asked by: Lucy Allan (Conservative - Telford)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
What steps he is taking to ensure that victims of child sexual exploitation have confidence in the criminal justice system.
Answered by Alex Chalk - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
Child sexual exploitation is an abhorrent crime and it is essential that specialist support is available to help victims of abuse through the criminal justice system to ensure victims have confidence to come forward. Independent Sexual Violence Advisors provide an important link between support services and criminal justice agencies and may support a victim when attending court and giving evidence. This is why we are an investing an additional £1m in recruiting more.
There are a range of special measures to help victims give their best evidence, for example from behind a screen or remotely. A Victim Personal Statement gives victims a voice in the criminal justice process by helping others to understand how the crime has affected them.
We’re also determined to ensure that perpetrators are brought to justice, which is why we’re recruiting 20,000 more police officers, investing £85m in more prosecutors and building 10,000 extra prison places.