Victims and Prisons Act 2024: Commencement of Parts 1 and 4

I am pleased to announce that today the Government have commenced the first tranche of victim-related measures in the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024. This underscores the Government’s commitment to ensuring that victims receive the vital information and support they need. As well as provisions that inform the meaning of part 1 of the Act, such as the definition of “victim”, we are also commencing the following measures:

First, we have commenced the obligation on those who provide victims code services to comply with the victims code unless there is a good reason not to. This underlines our commitment to ensuring victims receive the service that they deserve under the victims code, and that agencies are held to account for delivering this.

Secondly, we have commenced new measures that will help the Victims Commissioner to better hold bodies accountable for how they are delivering for victims. This includes:

bringing new bodies into the commissioner’s remit, including the criminal justice inspectorates and additional Government Departments;

requiring that those subject to the code compliance duty in section 5 of the Act to co-operate with the commissioner, for example, complying with reasonable requests for data or access when requested, so far as it is appropriate and reasonably practicable;

making clear that the commissioner can include recommendations in their statutory reports, whether made annually or to the Secretary of State throughout the year; and requiring that those within the commissioner’s remit respond to recommendations made in those reports where relevant to them within 56 days; and requiring criminal justice inspectorates to consult the commissioner when developing their inspection frameworks and programmes.

Together, these measures will enable the commissioner to gain a deeper understanding of the victims landscape. They will also foster greater transparency and accountability between authorities, encouraging good practice and respectful treatment of victims.

Finally, we have commenced the measure that will simplify the complaints process for victims who need to escalate their complaints. Where victims of crime want to make complaints to the Parliamentary Health Services Ombudsman (PHSO) relating to their experience as a victim, this measure removes the so-called “MP-filter” which required victims to make these complaints via their Member of Parliament. The measure also enables those acting on behalf of a victim to bypass the filter and make the victim’s complaint directly. This means victims can choose whether to make their complaint themselves, or through an MP or other trusted person if they prefer.

By implementing this initial tranche of measures, we are laying a stronger foundation for victims to have confidence that they will receive the information and support they need and deserve. We will continue to build on this foundation through the Government’s manifesto commitments to increase the powers of the Victims Commissioner and introduce independent legal advisers for rape victims, ensuring there is more accountability where the needs of victims are not being met.

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