Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Criminal Justice System: Support for Victims

Tuesday 10 January 2023 · 4 questions

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

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 1 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Minister published a draft Victims Bill in May to improve victims' experiences.
  • Minister offered to meet with Emma Lewell to assist her constituent's complex case.
  • Minister acknowledged the need to improve victims' experiences, particularly in rape cases.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Stephen Morgan Lab Portsmouth South
Justice & Courts Standards & Ethics
Context

The question arises from ongoing concerns about the treatment and support of victims within the criminal justice system.

Question

What steps he is taking to support victims in the criminal justice system. The issue includes underfunding, lack of oversight, inconsistent support services, and the need for legislative changes to improve victim experiences.

Answer from Edward Argar

In May, we published our landmark draft Victims Bill and a wider package of measures to improve victims' experiences of the criminal justice system. The Bill will enshrine the overarching principles of the victims code in primary legislation, increase oversight of criminal justice agencies' treatment of victims and enable improvements in the quality and consistency of victim support services. The Bill will be introduced as swiftly as parliamentary time allows. Alongside those measures, we are more than quadrupling the funding for victim and witness support services by 2024-25.

Answered
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Q2 Emma Lewell Lab South Shields
Immigration NHS
Context

The issue involves a constituent, Mr Singh, who has suffered identity theft and faces multiple issues including Border Force detention, immigration status jeopardy, family safety concerns, and chaotic health records.

Question

My constituent, Mr Singh, is subject to identity theft. He and his family have been held by Border Force, his immigration status is in jeopardy, his family are being placed in danger and his health records are in utter chaos. Various Ministers, Secretaries of State and one of our recent Prime Ministers have all promised action, yet not one of them has bothered to honour their word. Will anyone in this Government help Mr Singh?

Answer from Edward Argar

The hon. Lady and I have worked together on previous cases. While I suspect that some elements of what she is referring to come under other Departments, hence her involving the Prime Minister and others, I am happy to meet with her to see if there is something I can do to assist.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific action or assistance for Mr Singh's identity theft issues was not committed to directly

How: Hedge

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Q3 Stephen Morgan Lab Portsmouth South
Crime & Law Enforcement Justice & Courts
Context

Statistics show that only 1.5% of recorded rapes result in a charge, compared with 5.4% for all other crimes. This disparity raises concerns about the effectiveness of current measures to support victims.

Question

Only 1.5% of recorded rapes result in a charge, compared with 5.4% of all other crimes. Does the Minister accept responsibility for this, and for so badly letting down victims?

Answer from Edward Argar

We all have a shared desire to improve victims' experiences, particularly in cases of rape and serious sexual offences. The rape review action plan set out the steps we are taking, and we are seeing continued increases and improvement in respect of total police referrals, receipts for a charge, CPS charges and Crown court receipts. There is more still to do. We are ambitious to go further, but we are making good progress and we will continue to focus on this.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific responsibility or concrete commitments were not directly acknowledged.

How: Hedge

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Q4 Jonathan Gullis
Justice & Courts
Context

The issue involves a case where the taking and testing of blood samples are crucial in a death by dangerous driving investigation, but issues have arisen around obtaining consent.

Question

I thank the Lord Chancellor for meeting with Claire, the mother of Sharlotte-Sky, before the Christmas recess to hear about the pain and anguish she has suffered through the criminal justice system in order to get justice for her daughter, who was tragically killed in Norton Green in 2021. As the Lord Chancellor heard, the problem with this case is around the taking and testing of blood when it comes to death by dangerous driving. Can we have a review to ensure that blood can be tested regardless of consent to speed up answers for victims and help police to find answers to those problems quicker?

Answer from Edward Argar

I apologise to my hon. Friend for not being able to attend that meeting as I was caught in another meeting. My right hon. Friend the Lord Chancellor has related that meeting to me, however, and I know that he and we reflect carefully on the points made in it.

Not addressed: Specific review request for blood testing without consent was not addressed.

How: Change Subject

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