Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to improve (a) victim support and (b) communication processes with (i) victims and (ii) victims' families within the (A) court system and (B) criminal justice system.

The Government is committed to ensuring victims and victims’ families have the information and support they need to navigate the criminal justice system. Implementation of the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024 is underway, and once commenced, these measures will help to drive more strategic commissioning of victim support services through the Duty to Collaborate; ensure victims know their rights under the Victims’ Code; and require criminal justice bodies to collect data set out in secondary legislation on how their services comply with the Victims’ Code, which may include information on the victim experience.

The Victims and Courts Bill will provide a new route for victims to request information via a dedicated helpline, which will give victims confidence about the routes available to receive information about their offender’s release. The Ministry of Justice is also exploring opportunities to transform how victims access information and experience the justice system through data and digital improvement.

The Ministry of Justice continues to fund victim and witness support services, including ringfenced funding for community-based domestic abuse and sexual violence services, and core funding to Police and Crime Commissioners. The Department funds the Witness Service which provides emotional and practical support to witnesses in court, to enable them to give their best evidence. The Ministry of Justice also commissions a national Homicide Service which aims to ensure families bereaved by, eyewitnesses of, and children or young people impacted by a homicide or major incident where a crime has caused fatalities, receive the support they need to help them build resilience to cope with the impact of these devastating crimes. This includes support through criminal justice processes.

We continually keep under review Ministry of Justice commissioning of victim support services. The Victims Funding Strategy, published in May 2022, sets out a framework to improve the way Government funds victim support services, seeking to better align and co-ordinate funding to enable victims to receive the support they need.