Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the steps the Government is taking to ensure that victims of serious crimes receive more frequent updates on the progress of their cases.

In England and Wales, the Code of Practice for Victims of Crime (Victims’ Code) outlines the services victims are entitled to receive, including updates on the progress of their case. Generally, victims are entitled to receive information within 5 working days of specified events, such as when a suspect is arrested or released without charge. Victims of the most serious offences are entitled to receive those updates within 1 working day of the relevant event. Victims are also entitled to be informed how often they will receive updates on the status of the case following discussion with the police. Ultimately how much contact to have above that required by the Victims’ Code is an operational matter.

In September last year we published the first cross-government Victims Strategy. In the strategy we committed to hold agencies to account for compliance with the Victims’ Code through improved reporting, monitoring and transparency on whether victims are receiving entitlements. This goes hand in hand with amending the Victims’ Code to make sure that the entitlements victims receive are the right ones in the first place. That’s why we also committed to consult on a revised Victims’ Code, and consult on victim focussed legislation. We are planning to publish the consultations over the course of this year.