Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 13 September 2022 to Question 45824 on the pilot of Specialist Sexual Violence Support in the Crown Court, what the budgets are for the pilot in each location, as announced on 16 June 2022.

In June 2022, we announced the introduction of enhanced support for victims of rape and serious sexual offences through the Specialist Sexual Violence Support (SSVS) in the Crown Court project. This project is being delivered in three locations: Leeds, Newcastle, and Snaresbrook in London. This work aims to improve the support on offer in court, as well as increasing the volume of cases going through the system.

We are working to ensure that the Court Centres have the resources needed to ensure the project is successful. We continue to engage with local partners to understand the exact requirements for each phase of work in each location and we are using this to inform funding decisions.