Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he has taken to ensure that victims are made aware in a timely manner of court hearings relating to their case.

The Government’s new Victims’ Code sets out the support and information victims of crime can expect to receive from agencies at every stage of the criminal justice process. Priority victims – victims of the most serious crime, vulnerable or intimidated and persistently targeted victims – are entitled to receive enhanced support and services.

The Victims’ Code outlines that victims are entitled to be informed of the date, time and location of the first court hearing by the police within 5 working days from when they receive this information and 1 working day for priority victims. If the case progresses to trial, the Witness Care Unit should notify victims of court hearings within 1 working day of receiving the information from the court.

Criminal justice agencies have updated their guidance for operational staff, which outlines their duties under the new Victims’ Code. The Government has made a commitment to monitor criminal justice agencies’ compliance with the Victims’ Code and in “Our Commitment to Victims,” launched on 15 September 2014, we announced that criminal justice agencies will publish information on how they have improved services for victims from April 2015.