Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether relatives of victims of crime are compensated for the cost of attending parole boards to make victim impact statements.

This Government is committed to putting victims and witnesses first in the criminal justice system and to ensure they have access to high-quality, effective and timely support to help them cope and, as far as possible, recover from the effects of crime.

We are working with the Parole Board to increase the number of hearings which Parole Board Panels hold using video-link technology at oral hearings. This has the positive benefit of giving more victims the opportunity to deliver their victim personal statement locally rather than incur the cost, inconvenience and potential distress of travelling to the prison in which the Parole Board hearing is taking place.