Source · Select Committees · Justice Committee
Recommendation 3
3
Accepted
Paragraph: 13
Expand the Bill's victim definition to include close relatives of persons killed by criminal offence.
Recommendation
As currently drafted, a victim of small-scale fraud is considered a victim of crime for the purposes of the Bill but a parent whose child has been murdered is not. This cannot be right. We recommend that the definition of victim in clause 1 of the Bill be expanded to include a close relative of a person whose death was directly caused by a criminal offence. As set out in the current Code, such a definition should refer to the spouse, the partner, the relatives in direct line, the siblings and the dependants of the victim and that other family members, including guardians and carers, may be considered close relatives at the discretion of the service provider.
Government Response Summary
The government committed to amending the Bill to include bereaved families as victims ahead of introduction and will carefully consider how to define specific relatives in legislation.
Paragraph Reference:
13
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
10. We thank the Committee for their recommendation and we will amend the Bill to include bereaved families ahead of introduction. Bereaved families are rightly defined as victims and receive entitlements under the Victims’ Code. On reflection, the Government agrees that the Bill should equally recognise this group, and the harm they have suffered as a result of crime, to ensure these victims benefit from the Bill measures. We will also carefully consider which relatives are listed in the Code and how to best define them in legislation, while continuing to allow for appropriate discretion from service providers in their application of the Code.