Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Attorney General, what steps she is taking with the Lord Chancellor to increase the number of pre-trial video recordings of cross-examination of vulnerable victims in Crown courts; to which additional Crown court locations she plans to make available that capability; and when she plans to do so.

I am pleased that the Lord Chancellor has recently approved national rollout plans for pre-recorded cross examination, for Section 28 of the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999, for vulnerable witnesses in Crown Court centres in England and Wales.

This plan includes a focus on rolling out Section 28 to London and the South East in the first wave in August, followed by all remaining Crown Courts in England in Wales in the autumn. This is a crucial step to support vulnerable victims and witnesses to give their best evidence.

HMCTS’s intention has always been to complete a national rollout of this service to all Crown Courts by the end of this year and there is extra benefit in having this service available to support more victims and witnesses in light of COVID-19.