§ John McDonnellTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to bring the victims of workplace crimes and their families into the remit of the Victims' Charter. [167497]
§ Paul Goggins[holding answer 28 April 2004]: A review of the Victim's Charter was completed in 2003. The Charter will be replaced by a statutory Code of Practice for victims, which is enabled by, and one of the key measures in, the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Bill currently before Parliament. The Code will place obligations on criminal justice agencies to provide specific services, within prescribed time scales, to victims of crime, irrespective of where the crime takes place.
As part of the review, my officials had discussions with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). HSE is further developing the existing arrangements for liaison with victims, and bereaved families, of work-related incidents so as to mirror, as far as resources and remit allow, the kinds of services the Code will deliver. However, as the Code's primary purpose is to set out the obligations of criminal justice agencies to victims of crime, the HSE, along with other organisations which have interactions with victims in a broader sense, was considered outside of its scope. My officials will remain in close touch with their counterparts in the HSE to ensure that best practice continues to be shared.