Oral Answers to Questions
Debate between Oliver Heald and Valerie Vaz(10 years, 8 months ago)
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The Solicitor-General
This is part of the six-point plan that I outlined during an earlier Question Time. It is designed to establish why there are fewer referrals from the police, and, in particular, why that is the case in certain parts of the country. The national scrutiny panel will sit on 4 April with the Director of Public Prosecutions and the national policing lead on rape, and will examine evidence compiled from seven police force areas to see what the implications are.
Valerie Vaz (Walsall South) (Lab)
What steps is the Solicitor-General taking to support victims in rape cases?
The Solicitor-General
A range of special measures can be taken in the courts themselves to make the experience of court less troubling for vulnerable witnesses. There are also witness care units. I have already mentioned the rape and serious sexual offences units, which are another part of our efforts to support witnesses. As the hon. Lady has implied, if prosecutions of this kind are to be effective, there must be confident witnesses who are prepared to explain exactly what happened, and that is what we are aiming to achieve.
Oral Answers to Questions
Debate between Oliver Heald and Valerie Vaz(11 years, 5 months ago)
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The Solicitor-General
This is part of the civil service reform plan, and bringing services together at TSOL has, for example, meant it has become a centre of excellence in employment law. TSOL also has a good record of reducing cost, with 40% efficiencies from its shared litigation service.
Valerie Vaz (Walsall South) (Lab)
Will the Solicitor-General assure the House that public money will not be wasted in transaction costs between Departments and that we will not end up with more finance officers chasing invoices than lawyers doing the work?
The Solicitor-General
It is true that clients in the Departments are billed by TSOL, but this is a lean process and fees are being kept down at a reasonable level.