Justice Minister has paid tribute to victims and
witnesses of crime whose experiences of the criminal justice
system have helped to shape new legislation.
The Victims and Witnesses of Crime Bill - introduced to the
Northern Ireland Assembly on 22 June has reached its second
stage. The Minister has been outlining the Bill's provision to
support delivery of her commitment to improve victim and witness
experience of the criminal justice system.
Minister Long said: I have had the privilege of meeting
directly with many victims and witnesses of crime who have shared
with me their lived experiences of the criminal justice system.
For too many, this has caused or added to existing trauma, and
this is something I am determined to change.
I am constantly awed by the people who meet with me, often
recounting some of the worst experiences of their lives, but who
do so to seek change and to prevent the same experience befalling
someone else. The provisions set out in this Bill are therefore
informed directly by what victims and witnesses have told us. I
would like to thank all those individuals for sharing their
experiences, as well as all those campaigning for change, who
have ever taken the time to meet with me or to contact my
Department.
This Bill owes a debt of gratitude to them. It is a further step
towards improving the experience of the criminal justice system
for all victims and witnesses of crime, and towards ensuring
their voices are heard.
The Bill has been introduced to deliver significant improvements
in the support, protection and rights of victims and witnesses of
crime. For example, victims of serious sexual offences will, for
the first time, be entitled to have free, independent legal
representation at specified pre-trial application hearings.
For victims and witnesses of hate crime offences, experience of
the court process will be improved as they will be automatically
eligible for consideration of Special Measures which include
giving evidence by video-link or from behind a screen. The Bill
also introduces protections to stop people accused of hate crime
offences from questioning witnesses directly in court.
And the legislation will establish an independent statutory
Commissioner for Victims and Witnesses of Crime for Northern
Ireland. They will have a clear statutory role to promote victim
and witness interests and they will encourage improvements across
the justice system by monitoring compliance of criminal justice
agencies with the services victims are entitled to
receive from them under the Victim Charter and making
recommendations for change where things could be done better.
In conclusion, the Minister said: The Bill marks another step
forward towards reforming our justice system to improve the
experience of victims and witnesses of crime. It gives effect to
my objective to create a more victim and witness centred,
transparent and protective criminal justice system where victims
and witnesses are supported, represented and safeguarded through
the criminal justice system.
Notes to editors:
- The Victims and Witnesses of Crime Bill was introduced to the
Assembly on 22 June 2026.
- The Bill makes provision for:
(i) the establishment, appointment, principal aim and functions
of a statutory Commissioner for Victims and Witnesses of
Crime;
(ii) mandatory publication of victim-related statistics by
Victim Charter service providers;
(iii) improved regulation of access to complainants'
private information in serious sexual offence cases;
(iv) pre-trial legal representation for complainants in
serious sexual offence cases;
(v) a technical fix to address an issue which will arise
when Committal Reform in Northern Ireland is implemented;
(vi) and the extension of Special Measures for witnesses and
protection from direct cross-examination by individuals charged
with hate crime-aggravated offences.
- Some parts of the Bill are as a result of Gillen
recommendations: Gillen Review Report into the
law and procedures in serious sexual offences in NI |
Department of Justice
- Copies of the Bill and Explanatory Notes can be accessed at
the Northern Ireland Assembly(external link opens in a new
window / tab) website.
