Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the budget is for the Office of the Standing Advocate in financial years (a) 2025-26 and (b) 2026-27.

It is important that the Office of the Independent Public Advocate is adequately equipped to deliver its vital function of supporting victims of future major incidents and preparing for these incidents.

The budget for the Independent Public Advocate for 2025/26 is £552k. All future spending will be considered as part of the Department’s allocations process to determine detailed budgets over the spending period. We will explore budgetary requirements with the Advocate once they are in post.