Justice Committee to hold a pre-appointment hearing for the Government's preferred candidate for Standing Advocate

Tuesday, 2 September at 2.30pm

Venue: Committee Room 6, Palace of Westminster

The Justice Committee will hold a pre-appointment hearing on Tuesday, 2 September for Cindy Butts, the Government's preferred candidate for Standing Advocate.

This role is subject to pre-appointment scrutiny by the cross-party committee of MPs before any appointment by Ministers.

The session will explore the candidate's knowledge, experience and skills, and how she would apply these to the role of Standing Advocate, and also ascertain the Committee's view as to the suitability of the candidate for the role. 

The role of Standing Advocate was established by Part 2 of the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024. The Standing Advocate will be responsible for providing support to victims of major incidents which are declared as such by the Secretary of State for Justice.   

Witness (in person). From 2.30pm: 

• Cindy Butts, the Government's preferred candidate for Standing Advocate