Pre-legislative scrutiny of the draft Victims Bill

Justice Committee Closed Inquiry
Opened: 26 May 2022 Closed: 30 May 2024 Parliament page
The Justice Committee is to undertake pre-legislative scrutiny of the draft Victims Bill. It will examine the draft Bill to assess the adequacy of its policy objectives and key provisions. Read the call for evidence to find out more about the inquiry.
29 Recommendations
19 Conclusions
1 Report
2 Letters
3 Events
Activity timeline 7 events
19 Apr
2023
Correspondence
19 Jan
2023
Report published
30 Sep
2022
Report published
28 Jul
2022
Correspondence
28 Jun
2022
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 5, Palace of Westminster
21 Jun
2022
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 15, Palace of Westminster
14 Jun
2022
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 15, Palace of Westminster
Title HC No. Published Items Response
Second Report - Pre-legislative scrutiny of the draft Victims Bi… HC 304 30 Sep 2022 48 Responded
Recommendations & Conclusions
11 results
Clear
1 Conclusion Acknowledged
Second Report - Pre-legislative sc…
Lack of published draft Victims' Code and regulations hinders effective scrutiny of the Bill.
The Committee welcomes the opportunity to scrutinise the draft Victims Bill and supports the Government’s ambition to improve victims’ awareness of their rights under the Victims’ Code. The Code is an important aspect of the Bill. It is disappointing that … Read more
Government Response
The government recognized the importance of Parliamentary oversight and committed to considering how best to provide Parliament with necessary information about the Victims' Code regulations during the Bill's passage.
Ministry of Justice
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14 Recommendation Acknowledged
Second Report - Pre-legislative sc…
Undertake further research on Community Impact Statement usage and provide supportive guidance.
Community Impact Statements are not new and the Government itself acknowledges that little is known about their use. We recommend that the Government undertakes further research on how Community Impact Statements have been used and provides guidance to support any … Read more
Government Response
The government states it asked for information on Community Impact Statements in a consultation and is committed to providing further information in the Victims' Code. However, it will only 'consider whether research... would be helpful' on their use.
Ministry of Justice
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15 Recommendation Acknowledged
Second Report - Pre-legislative sc…
Ensure adequate counselling support for victims submitting statements to Mental Health Tribunals.
We support the Government’s proposal to give a victim of a mentally disordered offender the right to submit a Victim Personal Statement to a Mental Health Tribunal. We recognise that there are particular sensitivities in the Mental Health Tribunal which … Read more
Government Response
The government agreed on the importance of clear communication and support for victims submitting Victim Personal Statements to Mental Health Tribunals but will consider how to implement this effectively ahead of the new Victims’ Code publication.
Ministry of Justice
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16 Recommendation Acknowledged
Second Report - Pre-legislative sc…
Provide further information on offender’s illness to aid relatives of mentally disordered victims.
To aid close relatives of victims of mentally disordered offenders to cope and recover from their trauma, the Government should consider whether further information could be provided on the nature of the offender’s illness and how it impacted upon the … Read more
Government Response
The government committed to considering the complex issue of sharing further information about an offender’s illness with close relatives to aid recovery, while balancing patient confidentiality.
Ministry of Justice
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17 Conclusion Acknowledged
Second Report - Pre-legislative sc…
Right to Review schemes and communication to victims require significant improvement.
There is room for improvement to the Right to Review schemes and the communication of them to victims. The details of the schemes in the Code need to be clearer and the CPS and police need to improve their performance … Read more
Government Response
The government acknowledged concerns about Right to Review schemes and committed to working with police and CPS to assess recommendations and make information in the Code clearer, with further changes to be considered for appropriate updates.
Ministry of Justice
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19 Conclusion Acknowledged
Second Report - Pre-legislative sc…
Diverting constrained CPS resources risks adverse effects on justice and victim experience.
Attending court can be a daunting experience for a victim, with potential to be confusing and retraumatising. We agree in principle with the Government’s ambition for the CPS in high harm cases to support victims through that process and to … Read more
Government Response
The government agreed that new expectations on the CPS must be properly resourced and is reviewing current communication procedures, considering a duty to meet victims, which will be underpinned by a thorough assessment of required resources.
Ministry of Justice
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21 Recommendation Acknowledged
Second Report - Pre-legislative sc…
Consider providing independent legal advice for vulnerable victims facing disclosure requests.
The decision whether to accede to a disclosure request of counselling notes and third-party material should not rest solely on the shoulders of victims, many of whom are vulnerable and traumatised. There is a case for providing independent legal advice … Read more
Government Response
The government is considering responses to two consultations related to third-party material and enhanced victim support, and will shortly publish its response to one, but has not yet committed to providing independent legal advice.
Ministry of Justice
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24 Conclusion Acknowledged
Second Report - Pre-legislative sc…
Inadequate data collection hinders effective monitoring of Victims' Code compliance and agency accountability.
A lack of data has been a key barrier to the effective monitoring of the implementation of the Code, particularly with respect to minority groups. Meaningful data collected and published regularly can help amplify victims voices and hold underperforming agencies … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees on the importance of data collection and will consider the committee's suggestions as it develops the minimum dataset required for monitoring compliance.
Ministry of Justice
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26 Recommendation Acknowledged
Second Report - Pre-legislative sc…
Set out clear escalation routes and rights for PCCs to challenge agency compliance.
We support the Government’s ambition to improve transparency in the delivery of the Code. However, transparency and roundtable discussions will only go so far in improving performance without any enforcement mechanism. The Government should set out in the guidance provided … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees that national oversight and an escalation route are fundamental, stating it will 'consider this recommendation' while developing relevant guidance, including how insights from the Victims’ Commissioner and inspectorates can be incorporated.
Ministry of Justice
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30 Recommendation Acknowledged
Second Report - Pre-legislative sc…
Issue clear guidance on governance and accountability for cross-area victim support collaboration
PCC, local authority and health board areas are rarely coterminous. This will necessarily add complexity to collaboration and the development of a single strategy for the delivery of victim support services for each police area. In setting guidance to the … Read more
Government Response
The government will consider how statutory guidance might be used to clarify which local authorities and ICBs fall within each police area and to establish governance and accountability arrangements for non-coterminous areas.
Ministry of Justice
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34 Recommendation Acknowledged
Second Report - Pre-legislative sc…
Require statutory guidance to address under-representation in needs assessments and signpost specialist support
The statutory guidance to be provided by the Government should include advice on addressing the potential for under-representation in the needs assessment. It should also include signposting to specialist support for those groups that may be available elsewhere or at … Read more
Government Response
The government committed to carefully considering the recommendation to include advice on addressing under-representation and signposting to specialist support when developing statutory guidance.
Ministry of Justice
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Government Response AI assessment · 48 of 29 classified
Accepted 22
Acknowledged 11
Not Addressed 1
Rejected 14
Total 29 recs + 19 conclusions
Correspondence 2 letters
19 Apr 2023 To committee Letter from the Rt Hon Dominic Raab MP, Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, dated 29 March 2023 on the introduction of the Victims and Prisoners Bill
Parliament page
28 Jul 2022 To committee Letter from Tom Pursglove MP, Minister of State for Justice, dated 27 July 2022, on the Bill of Rights and victims of John Worboys
Parliament page