Source · Select Committees · Home Affairs Committee
Recommendation 19
19
Accepted
Paragraph: 124
Government lacks priority for legal advice for victims on disclosure decisions, despite benefits.
Conclusion
Although we support the Government’s upcoming consultation with victims’ groups on enhancing support and legal advice for victims on disclosure decisions, we have concerns that the Government is not placing a high priority on the question of legal advice for victims, despite what appear to be clear benefits.
Government response summary AI-generated
The government committed to addressing inconsistent pre-trial therapy, launched a draft Victims Bill requiring integrated support commissioning, published a Victims Funding Strategy for multi-year funding, announced £6.6m in additional funding for support services and training, and launched a consultation on enhancing legal advice for victims on disclosure requests.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Paragraph Reference:
124
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government · verbatim extract
Accepted
The Ministry of Justice has consulted on options to enhance legal support or advice for victims of rape or serious sexual assault regarding personal information requests, including police requests for mobile phone downloads and social media records. We launched the consultation in March and distributed a stakeholder survey in early May. The consultation explored current provision and options to strengthen victims’ access to legal advice or support, including the model adopted by the Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner, as well as options to enhance rape victims’ access to legal support or advice about personal information requests. As part of the consultation, we engaged with a diverse range of stakeholders, including victims’ groups. The consultation concluded in June after a series of small stakeholder events. We are now analysing the outcome of the consultation to determine next steps and will continue to engage with victims’ groups throughout the process.
Read the full response on Parliament ↗