Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Victims: Court Experience

Tuesday 17 March 2026 · 2 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 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The Courts and Tribunals Bill aims to deliver faster, fairer justice for victims.
  • Funding for victim support exceeds half a billion pounds.
  • Reforms to character evidence rules are under consideration in the Courts and Tribunals Bill.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Liz Jarvis Lib Dem Eastleigh
Justice & Courts
Context

The question arises from a broader concern about the treatment of victims within the court system and their overall experience.

Question

What steps he is taking to help improve the experience of victims in court. The Courts and Tribunals Bill aims to deliver faster, fairer justice for all victims; however, the MP seeks specific actions taken by the government to support this aim beyond the bill itself.

Answer from Sarah Sackman

The Courts and Tribunals Bill puts victims at its heart, aiming to deliver faster, fairer justice. Additionally, funding victim support to over half a billion pounds is provided, a new victims code consultation is ongoing, and special measures are being enhanced.

Answered
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Q2 Liz Jarvis Lib Dem Eastleigh
Justice & Courts
Context

A constituent was disturbed by the use of character references during the sentencing of a man convicted of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child. Queensland, Australia, recently introduced reforms restricting such references.

Question

My constituent was appalled that character references were read out during the sentencing of a man found guilty of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child. The Minister will be aware that Queensland, Australia, introduced reforms last year to restrict the use of character references in the sentencing of sex offenders. Does the Minister agree that all victims should be at the heart of sentencing, and will she review the admissibility and weight of character references in sexual offence cases?

Answer from Sarah Sackman

Judges decide on admissibility and weight of evidence, but we are interested in how evidence is used. The Courts and Tribunals Bill will change defendants' bad character evidence rules, allowing judges to use previous domestic abuse convictions as propensity indicators for further offences; the minister is open to working with the MP on beneficial changes.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The question asked specifically about reviewing the admissibility and weight of character references in sexual offence cases, but no concrete steps were promised beyond expressing openness to work together on potential changes.

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