Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans the Government has to ensure that people reporting crimes involving the deliberate infection of (a) HIV and (b) other diseases can access specialised support services whilst investigations are undertaken and completed.

All victims of crime are entitled to receive appropriate support to help them, as far as possible, cope and recover. Under the Code of Practice for Victims of Crime (Victims’ Code), the police must conduct a needs assessment of a victim and refer them to victim support services, unless the victim chooses not to be. This may include referral to services which specialise in supporting people diagnosed with HIV and sexual transmission of infections.

In the Victims Strategy, published in September last year, we committed to consulting on a revised Victims’ Code to ensure that the entitlements better reflect victims’ needs.