Consideration of Bill, as amended in the Public Bill Committee
[Relevant documents: Second Report of the Justice Committee of Session 2022-23, Pre-legislative scrutiny of the draft Victims Bill, HC 304, and the Government response, HC 932; Third Report of the Justice Committee of Session 2022-23, IPP sentences, HC 266, and the Government response, HC 933; Oral evidence taken by the Justice Committee on 9 May and 16 May, on the Victims and Prisoners Bill, HC 1340; Correspondence from the Ministry of Justice, on the Victims and Prisoners Bill, reported to the House on 26 June and 28 November 2023; Correspondence from the Chair of the Justice Committee to the Lord Chancellor, on the Victims and Prisoners Bill, reported to the House on 6 June 2023.]
New Clause 20
Domestic abuse related death reviews
‘(1) The Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004 is amended in accordance with subsections (2) to (4).
(2) After section 8 insert—
“Domestic abuse related death reviews
8A Establishment and conduct of reviews
(1) In this section “domestic abuse related death review” means a review of the circumstances of the death of a person which is held—
(a) where the death has, or appears to have, resulted from domestic abuse towards the person within the meaning of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, and
(b) with a view to identifying the lessons to be learned from the death.
(2) The Secretary of State may in a particular case direct a specified person or body within subsection (6) to establish, or to participate in, a domestic abuse related death review.
(3) It is the duty of any person or body within subsection (6) establishing or participating in a domestic abuse related death review (whether or not held pursuant to a direction under subsection (2)) to have regard to any guidance issued by the Secretary of State as to the establishment and conduct of such reviews.
(4) A person or body within subsection (6) that establishes a domestic abuse related death review (whether or not held pursuant to a direction under subsection (2)) must send a copy of any report setting out the conclusions of the review to the Secretary of State and the Domestic Abuse Commissioner.
(5) The copy must be sent as soon as reasonably practicable after the report is completed.
(6) The persons and bodies within this subsection are—
chief officers of police for police areas in England and Wales;