Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when the pilot for non-court remote link sites for Section 28 of the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999 is planned to commence.

We are rolling out pre-recorded cross examination, provided for Section 28 of the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999, for vulnerable witnesses in Crown Court centres in England and Wales. Our plans for Section 28 involve witnesses giving evidence in court centres, with the exception of Durham, where arrangements are already underway for evidence to be provided from a non-court site at a Sexual Assault Referral Centre. Once these arrangements are properly embedded, further options, including non-court sites, will be considered for roll-out in the future.