Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Attorney General, what steps he is taking to ensure that (a) victim impact statements and (b) compensation claims are made when cases are brought to court in (i) Northamptonshire and (ii) the UK.

a) Under the Code of Practice for Victims of Crime (Victims’ Code), victims are entitled to make a Victim Personal Statement (VPS), (sometimes referred to as a ‘victim impact statement’). When the Code came in to force in December 2013 the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) issued operational guidance to support prosecutors in meeting their commitments. More recently, a national cross-agency protocol setting out the working arrangements for the reading of the VPS in criminal proceedings has been implemented (the CPS is a signatory).

b) The CPS has issued legal guidance on the role of the prosecutor to assist the court in the sentencing process by making it aware of all relevant information. This includes drawing the court’s attention to its powers to award compensation and inviting them to make such an order where appropriate.

Northamptonshire is part of the CPS East Midlands Area and the Area applies the national guidance which has been issued both in respect of the VPS and also compensation claims.