Justice System: Victim Confidence

12. What plans he has to help improve victim confidence in the justice system.

We are putting victims first with a record £550 million investment in victim support services over the next three years. Our measures in the Courts and Tribunals Bill aim to deliver faster, fairer justice to improve victim confidence across the whole system. We are also consulting, as I have previously said, on a new victims code, so that victims know exactly what they can expect from the justice system.

I welcome the Government’s recent efforts to improve victims’ experiences in the courtroom, including the expansion of the Operation Soteria principles and the introduction of a national independent legal adviser service to provide dedicated legal support throughout the criminal justice process. However, many victims still lack confidence in the prosecution system, and some withdraw from proceedings after experiencing further trauma during the process. What further steps are the Government taking to ensure that victims are treated with dignity and respect so that they feel supported to see their cases through to conclusion and that justice is fully delivered?

I thank my hon. Friend for that important question. I hope that I can also respond to the comments made by the Father of the House in the previous question; I, too, want to pay tribute to my hon. Friend the Member for Warrington North (Charlotte Nichols) for her brave testimony in the debate last week. It is exactly those experiences that this Government are improving by introducing Operation Soteria in our courtrooms, expanding the use of specialist measures, introducing independent legal advisers and consulting on a new victims code. When we came into office we said that we would reform the criminal justice system to put victims back at the heart of it, and that is exactly what this Government are doing.

Can I wish you a happy St Patrick’s day, Mr Speaker? St Patrick is sometimes somewhat disparagingly referred to as a “west Brit”, which is very unfortunate given where he was born.

Will the Minister have discussions with the Department of Justice and the Justice Minister in Northern Ireland to ensure that victims are not experiencing delays and prevarications in the court system, which lead to justice being denied as well as delayed?

May I take the opportunity to wish the hon. Member a happy St Patrick’s day today? I recently had the pleasure of visiting the island of Ireland and met the Irish Justice Minister, but we have regular conversations with our Northern Ireland counterparts as well to discuss how we can improve the system for victims as a whole. Violence against women and girls has no borders and does not discriminate in the targeting of victims. That is why we need to do all we can to keep victims safe, wherever they are.