Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Victims and Courts Act 2026 on people falsely accused of serious crime.

The Government considered the impacts of the measures in the Victims and Courts Act 2026 on those affected by them, including defendants and offenders, as part of the Bill’s impact assessments, equality analysis and assessment of compatibility with the European Convention on Human Rights. These considered, among other matters, fair trial rights and relevant safeguards for defendants.

No separate assessment was made of people described as having been falsely accused of a crime. However, making a false allegation of a criminal offence is a serious matter which may itself amount to the commission of an offence such as perverting the course of justice or wasting police time. Where an individual intentionally makes a false allegation and their conduct amounts to a criminal offence, prosecutions may be brought for offences including perverting the course of justice or wasting police time.