§ Mr. McFallTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what consideration is being given to measures to reduce the stressfulness for victims of crime of attendance at court; and if he will a make a statement.
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonThe stress of appearing as a witness is partly caused by a fear of the unknown. The new measures being taken to provide information to victims and to make them familiar with the court and its procedures can help to allay such fears. The physical surroundings are also important and steps are taken, where possible, to separate Crown witnesses from accused persons and defence witnesses. Court staff make regular visits to witness rooms to provide progress reports, and will take appropriate action if a victim complains about intimidation or other pressure.
Where children are the victims of crime, a number of courts have facilities to take evidence by live television link, so that, if the court so orders, they do not have to confront the accused face to face. The use of screens to provide a barrier between a victim and an accused is also currently being evaluated.
Although there are certain rules of evidence designed to protect witnesses from particular types of questioning, going to court is inevitably stressful for many victims of crime. Two recently published reports, on the review of criminal evidence and on court programming, contain a number of recommendations which, if implemented, are likely to lead to a reduction in that stress and in the number of times victims have to attend court. Any new procedures must also, however, be fair to accused persons and so any proposals require careful consideration.
Volunteers from the Scottish Association of Victim Support Schemes aim to accompany as many victims to court as possible. The association provides some training to volunteers to assist them in helping victims through the court process. In 1993–94 SAVSS will receive a grant of £764,000 from the Scottish Office, of which £546,351 goes to fund local victim support schemes.
§ Mr. McFallTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what consideration is being given to improving the availability to victims of crime of information on the operation of the courts and the prosecution system; and if he will make a statement.
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§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonA number of initiatives are being made in the spirit of the justice charter for Scotland. Procurators fiscal are making efforts to provide more information, and improved leaflets are now sent to all witnesses before coming to court. More information about the progress of cases is being given to witnesses waiting at court to give their evidence, and special arrangements, including pre-trial visits to the courtroom, exist for giving information to vulnerable witnesses. The very successful illustrated leaflet for children is also being updated. In one particular initiative the procurator fiscal provides information through local victim support schemes, and receives in return information about any special difficulties which victims may have. The Scottish Association of Victim Support Schemes has made an approach seeking funding support to produce a new information leaflet for victims of sexual offences. This is intended to provide relevant information and to inform them about aspects of the prosecution system and operation of the courts.