Asked by: Alex Cunningham (Labour - Stockton North)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many qualified legal representatives had completed vulnerable witness training when they registered for the scheme.
Answered by Laura Farris
The Qualified Legal Representative (QLR) scheme was introduced in July 2022, following the Government’s Domestic Abuse Act (2021) which prohibited unrepresented perpetrators or alleged perpetrators of abuse from cross-examining their victims or alleged victims in family and civil proceedings, and vice versa. The prohibition ensures that vulnerable victims and witnesses are not traumatised by being cross-examined directly by their alleged perpetrator.
As of 20 March 2024, there are currently 366 QLRs registered to undertake work in the family courts and 78 QLRs registered to undertake work in the civil courts. We do not hold central data on total registrations since the publication of the statutory guidance.
Circumstances under which a QLR is required vary, for example, depending on whether parties have their own representation, and decisions on which cases require QLRs are taken by the courts. We do not collect data centrally on how many cases have required a QLR, or the number of QLRs that have presented cases under the scheme.
We do not hold central data on how many QLRs have completed training, which they are able to access from a range of external providers. The Government encourages legal professionals to take up this important work to assist in both the family and civil courts, and to complete the required training as early as practicable.
Asked by: Alex Cunningham (Labour - Stockton North)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, in how many cases a qualified legal representative was (a) required and (b) not available.
Answered by Laura Farris
The Qualified Legal Representative (QLR) scheme was introduced in July 2022, following the Government’s Domestic Abuse Act (2021) which prohibited unrepresented perpetrators or alleged perpetrators of abuse from cross-examining their victims or alleged victims in family and civil proceedings, and vice versa. The prohibition ensures that vulnerable victims and witnesses are not traumatised by being cross-examined directly by their alleged perpetrator.
As of 20 March 2024, there are currently 366 QLRs registered to undertake work in the family courts and 78 QLRs registered to undertake work in the civil courts. We do not hold central data on total registrations since the publication of the statutory guidance.
Circumstances under which a QLR is required vary, for example, depending on whether parties have their own representation, and decisions on which cases require QLRs are taken by the courts. We do not collect data centrally on how many cases have required a QLR, or the number of QLRs that have presented cases under the scheme.
We do not hold central data on how many QLRs have completed training, which they are able to access from a range of external providers. The Government encourages legal professionals to take up this important work to assist in both the family and civil courts, and to complete the required training as early as practicable.
Aug. 30 2024
Source Page: Scottish Government's funding to support female domestic violence/abuse victims: FOI releaseFound: Scottish Government's funding to support female domestic violence/abuse victims: FOI release
Mentions:
1: Carlaw, Jackson (Con - Eastwood) a result of domestic abuse. - Speech Link
2: Torrance, David (SNP - Kirkcaldy) a result of domestic abuse. - Speech Link
3: Constance, Angela (SNP - Almond Valley) of domestic abuse that causes the loss of an unborn child. - Speech Link
4: MacGregor, Fulton (SNP - Coatbridge and Chryston) of domestic abuse that causes the loss of an unborn child. - Speech Link
5: Stewart, Alexander (Con - Mid Scotland and Fife) when the perpetrators of those crimes are charged. - Speech Link
Asked by: Alex Cunningham (Labour - Stockton North)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the document entitled Qualified legal representative appointed by the Court: Statutory guidance, published in July 2022, how many qualified legal representatives have been registered in (a) family and (b) other civil cases since the publication of that guidance.
Answered by Laura Farris
The Qualified Legal Representative (QLR) scheme was introduced in July 2022, following the Government’s Domestic Abuse Act (2021) which prohibited unrepresented perpetrators or alleged perpetrators of abuse from cross-examining their victims or alleged victims in family and civil proceedings, and vice versa. The prohibition ensures that vulnerable victims and witnesses are not traumatised by being cross-examined directly by their alleged perpetrator.
As of 20 March 2024, there are currently 366 QLRs registered to undertake work in the family courts and 78 QLRs registered to undertake work in the civil courts. We do not hold central data on total registrations since the publication of the statutory guidance.
Circumstances under which a QLR is required vary, for example, depending on whether parties have their own representation, and decisions on which cases require QLRs are taken by the courts. We do not collect data centrally on how many cases have required a QLR, or the number of QLRs that have presented cases under the scheme.
We do not hold central data on how many QLRs have completed training, which they are able to access from a range of external providers. The Government encourages legal professionals to take up this important work to assist in both the family and civil courts, and to complete the required training as early as practicable.
Found: abuse and stalking perpetrators under Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (1) A condition
Found: Grouping by Secretary Alex Chalk and selection of motions by Mr Speaker - 24 May 2024
May. 01 2024
Source Page: Updating the domestic homicide review statutory guidanceFound: Updating the domestic homicide review statutory guidance
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to help protect victims of domestic abuse in Newport West.
Answered by Laura Farris
Victims of domestic abuse in Wales, including Newport West, have access to a range of support and protections as a result of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 and our Tackling Domestic Abuse Plan (2022).
The Plan invests over £230 million of cross-Government funding into tackling this crime. This includes up to £140 million for supporting victims, and over £81 million for tackling perpetrators and to support policing. Funding which may support victims in Newport West from this plan includes, but is not limited to:
From 31st January 2024, victims can benefit from direct payments to victims flee abuse or build a sustainable future due to an additional new £2 million investment into the Flexible Fund.
This funding is alongside measures to protect victims and pursue perpetrators, such as adding violence against women crime types – including domestic abuse – to the revised Strategic Policing Requirement, elevating it to a national threat for police forces to respond to accordingly.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions he has had with the Welsh Government on steps to increase charge rates for serial perpetrators of (a) domestic abuse and (b) sexual violence in (i) Newport West constituency and (ii) Wales.
Answered by Laura Farris
The Home Office engages regularly with partners, including the Welsh Government and Police and Crime Commissioners, on policing priorities. This includes improving the response to domestic abuse, sexual violence, delivering the commitments in the Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy (2021) and the Tackling Domestic Abuse Plan (2022), and bringing more perpetrators to justice. Policing is a reserved matter, and the existing governance and partnership arrangements provide a significant level of integration and autonomy.
To improve conviction rates and understanding of why domestic abuse cases do not progress, the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) are developing a Domestic Abuse Joint Justice Plan (DA JJP). The DA JJP is welcomed by the Home Office and is expected to be published in March 2024.
In addition, in 2021 we published the Rape Review Action Plan and set out a series of commitments to deliver cross-system improvements in the criminal justice response to rape. One such commitment was Operation Soteria, a joint policing and CPS programme, to develop new national operating models for the investigation and prosecution of rape and support police and prosecutors across England and Wales to ensure investigations follow rigorous procedures directed at the conduct of the suspect.