§ Mr. RuffleyTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received from victim and witness services since the announcement of the transfer of funding to local criminal justice boards. [143645]
§ Paul GogginsWe are piloting the devolution of funding for the Witness Service to Local Criminal Justice Boards in four areas (Essex, Lancashire, Greater Manchester and Surrey) from April 2004. The aim of the pilots is to improve local responsiveness to the needs of witnesses and accountability for services. We are working closely with the National Association of Victim Support Schemes and the local Victim Support schemes which run the Witness Service in the four areas on the detailed arrangements for the pilots.
In November, my right hon. Friend, the Home Secretary met the Chief Executive of the National Association of Victim Support Schemes and the Chair of National Association's Board of Trustees to discuss their concerns about the proposal, and a similar meeting took place in July with Baroness Scotland of Asthal.
The Chief Executive of the National Association of Victim Support Schemes has also drawn these concerns to the attention of the Criminal Justice Council, which advises the National Criminal Justice Board.
The Home Office has received 15 representations from Victim Support schemes that are not involved in the pilot projects.
There is a range of views among local Victim Support Schemes and other practitioners about the proposal to devolve funding to Local Boards. The purpose of the pilot is to test whether devolution of funding results in more effective support and services for witnesses. The pilots will only be rolled out nationally if the evaluation demonstrates that the new arrangements are effective.