Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Justice (Sir ): I am pleased to announce that
today the Government has commenced the first tranche of
victim-related measures in the Victims and Prisoners Act
2024. This underscores the Government's
commitment to ensuring that victims receive the vital information
and support they need. As well as provisions that inform the
meaning of Part 1 of the Act, such as the definition of ‘victim',
we are also commencing the following measures:
Firstly, we have commenced the obligation on those who provide
Victims' Code services to comply with the Victims' Code unless
there is a good reason not to. This underlines our commitment to
ensuring victims receive the service that they deserve under the
Victims' Code, and that agencies are held to account for
delivering this.
Secondly, we have commenced new measures that will help the
Victims' Commissioner to better hold bodies accountable for how
they are delivering for victims. This includes:
- bringing new bodies into the Commissioner's remit, including
the criminal justice inspectorates and additional Government
departments;
- requiring that those subject to the Code compliance duty in
section 5 of the Act to cooperate with the Commissioner, for
example, complying with reasonable requests for data or access
when requested, so far as it is appropriate and reasonably
practicable;
- making clear that the Commissioner can include
recommendations in their statutory reports, whether made annually
or to the Secretary of State throughout the year; and requiring
that those within the Commissioner's remit respond to
recommendations made in those reports where relevant to them
within 56 days; and
- requiring criminal justice inspectorates to consult the
Commissioner when developing their inspection frameworks and
programmes.
Together, these measures will enable the Commissioner to gain a
deeper understanding of the victims' landscape. They will also
foster greater transparency and accountability between
authorities, encouraging good practice and respectful treatment
of victims.
Finally, we have commenced the measure that will simplify the
complaints process for victims who need to escalate their
complaints. Where victims of crime want to make complaints to the
Parliamentary Health Services Ombudsman (PHSO) relating to their
experience as a victim, this measure removes the so-called
‘MP-filter' which required victims to make these complaints via
their Member of Parliament. The measure also enables those acting
on behalf of a victim to bypass the filter and make the victim's
complaint directly. This means victims can choose whether to make
their complaint themselves, or through an MP or other trusted
person if they prefer.
By implementing this initial tranche of measures, we are laying a
stronger foundation for victims to have confidence that they will
receive the information and support they need and deserve. We
will continue to build on this foundation through the
Government's manifesto commitments to increase the powers of the
Victims' Commissioner and introduce independent legal advisers
for rape victims, ensuring there is more accountability where the
needs of victims are not being met.
