Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Criminal Justice System: Support for Victims

Tuesday 22 November 2022 · 8 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 2 Partly answered 3 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The draft Victims Bill was published in May and is ready for parliamentary time.
  • Funding for victims and witness support is being quadrupled compared to the last Labour Government.
  • The Crown court backlog was reduced from over 60,000 cases in June 2021 to under 58,000 by March 2022.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Judith Cummins Lab Bradford South
Justice & Courts
Context

The question arises from concerns about victim support and the progress of the Victims Bill.

Question

What steps are being taken to support victims in the criminal justice system, given that it has been seven years since the Victims Bill was first promised?

Answer from Dominic Raab

The draft Victims Bill was published in May after pre-legislative scrutiny. We are ready to bring it forward when parliamentary time allows, along with a victim surcharge. Funding for victims and witness support is being quadrupled compared to the last Labour Government.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific timeframe or concrete commitments on bringing forward the Victims Bill were not provided

How: Under Review, Quadrupling Funding

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Q2 Judith Cummins Lab Bradford South
Crime & Law Enforcement Justice & Courts
Context

Concerns about ensuring that victims are not forgotten and that compensation is secured.

Question

Will you give a commitment to include areas like holding the Crown Prosecution Service accountable when securing compensation for victims of crime in the Victims Bill?

Answer from Dominic Raab

The Victims Bill will place the victims code into law, increase oversight at police and crime commissioner level, and include a victim surcharge for restorative justice and extra compensation.

Answered
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Q3 Priti Patel Con Witham
Justice & Courts
Context

Concern about court delays affecting victims, including a case where a constituent was given a court date three years after being violently attacked.

Question

What is the Secretary of State doing to address the backlog in courts and ensure justice is delivered for victims?

Answer from Dominic Raab

The Crown court backlog reduced from over 60,000 cases in June 2021 to under 58,000 by March 2022. The increase was due to the Criminal Bar Association's strike action.

Not addressed: Specific measures to reduce backlog and deliver justice for victims were not provided; instead focused on blame

How: Strike Action

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Q4 Meg Hillier Labour (Co-op) Hackney South and Shoreditch
Culture, Media & Sport
Context

Concern about the law failing victims of non-consensual image sharing, including recommendations from the Law Commission.

Question

Will my right hon. Friend look at including legislative changes to address non-consensual image sharing in the Online Safety Bill?

Answer from Dominic Raab

I am looking positively and actively at bringing forward legislative changes, and I will confirm the vehicle for that shortly.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific legislative changes were not confirmed; only a commitment to look positively and actively was given

How: Looking Positively

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Q5 Maria Miller Con
Justice & Courts
Context

Concern about a local case where an offender was given permission to go abroad on holiday while awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to sexually abusing two girls.

Question

Does the Secretary of State agree that this is unacceptable and measures must be taken to prevent it?

Answer from Dominic Raab

I cannot comment on individual judicial cases, but I understand the concern. If he writes with details, I will look at this carefully.

Not addressed: Did not address the question directly; focused on inability to comment on specific cases

How: Cannot Comment On Individual Cases

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Q6 Dan Jarvis Lab Barnsley North
Justice & Courts
Context

Concern about constituents feeling let down by the justice system due to insufficient sentencing and lack of information.

Question

Will my right hon. Friend or the relevant victims Minister meet me to discuss this case?

Answer from Dominic Raab

My hon. Friend will get a meeting with the victims Minister, Edward Argar. I cannot comment on individual cases but note increased sentencing through the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022.

Answered
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Q7 Kevin Foster Con
Crime & Law Enforcement Democracy & Elections
Context

Concern about delayed progress on the Victims Bill despite promises.

Question

Why are the victims of crime not a priority for this Government, given that it has been seven years since the promise?

Answer from Dominic Raab

We published the draft Victims Bill in May after pre-legislative scrutiny. We are ready to bring it forward when parliamentary time allows, along with a victim surcharge.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific timeframe for bringing forward the Victims Bill was not provided; only readiness due to parliamentary time was stated

How: Under Review

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Q8 Anna McMorrin Lab Cardiff North
Crime & Law Enforcement Justice & Courts
Context

A constituent, Sarah, was sexually assaulted and endured a three-year wait for her trial. Despite winning the case, she felt humiliated by the process.

Question

My constituent Sarah was sexually assaulted. After a three-year wait and a hugely traumatic trial, the defendant was found not guilty. Of her experiences in the criminal justice system, she said: “I felt like I was being publicly beaten and humiliated. I wouldn't advise anyone to go through it, they destroy you.” Can the Secretary of State tell me how survivors such as Sarah are supposed to trust the Government when, seven years on, we are still waiting for the victims Bill and he is under investigation for bullying?

Answer from Dominic Raab

I am afraid that the hon. Lady rather demeaned the important point that she was making by trying to score political points at the end. Let me answer directly: we appreciate the concerns that there are for any victim, particularly female victims of crime, whether that is sexual violence or non-sexual violence. That is why we have rolled out section 28 of the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999, which provides the opportunity to give pre-recorded evidence, and why, when we have the Victims Bill—

Not addressed: Delays in passing the Victims Bill and investigations into bullying

How: Score Political Points, Rather Demeaned The Important Point

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