§ Mr. BeithTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he had made of the merits of allowing victims of crime to present a statement to the police on the impact of the crime on their lives; and if he will make a statement on pilot schemes which have involved victims' statements. [46750]
516W
§ Mr. MichaelPilot schemes testing the use of 'victim statements' have been running in six police force areas since the end of 1996. Evaluation of the pilots is currently in hand, though a final report is not expected before the end of the summer. An assessment of the merits of the scheme will be made in the light of that report.