Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans does he have to increase the number of Registered Intermediaries.

Registered Intermediaries play a vital role in helping vulnerable victims and witnesses give evidence. Demand for their services has increased rapidly over recent years and to meet this a rolling regional recruitment campaign has been ongoing since 2017. We recruited and trained 41 Registered Intermediaries in 2018, which represents a further 25% compared to the number that were active at the beginning of the year, meeting our commitment in the Victims’ Strategy. Recruitment activities are continuing; the most recent campaign in Wales closed in December and the next is due to be launched imminently. Recruitment will continue throughout 2019.