§ Mrs. EwingTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what changes his Department has made to(a) the amount of information provided to and (b) the protection by law for victims of crime and vulnerable witnesses since May 1997. [55015]
§ Mr. McLeishAt the end of February we produced a general information leaflet for victims of crime, which explains the criminal justice process in simple terms and provides information about getting help. The leaflet is distributed mainly by the police, who are the first contact a victim or witness who reports a crime has with the criminal justice system. It is also available through Victim Support Scotland and Citizens Advice Bureaux.
I am advised by my noble and learned Friend the Lord Advocate that, in January, the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service in conjunction with the Scottish Court Service launched a Joint Statement on Crown Witnesses, outlining the joint and individual responsibilities of procurators and clerks of court in relation to Crown Witnesses cited in court. The document introduced an undertaking that witnesses at court would be provided with an update on the progress of their case at least once every two hours.
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As at 31 March 1997 Council Estimated stock Number of houses with rent arrears1 Total rent arrears £ Rent arrears as a percentage of 1996–97 rental income Aberdeen City 30,305 8,354 1,314,613 3.20 Aberdeenshire 17,218 4,490 666,484 2.61 Angus 10,721 1,428 117,831 0.89 Argyll and Bute 7,375 3,146 344,601 2.59 Clackmannanshire 6,767 1,750 463,209 4.64 Comhairle nan Eilean Siar 2,115 453 130,502 3.27 Dumfries and Galloway 14,588 4,797 556,007 2.20 Dundee City 23,509 8,277 1,538,703 3.58 East Ayrshire 20,142 5,386 768,475 2.93 East Dunbartonshire 6,840 1,445 711,253 6.63 East Lothian 10,817 4,810 629,792 4.16 East Renfrewshire 4,591 1,195 258,438 4.01 Edinburgh City 33,320 17,025 1,855.64 2.62 Falkirk 23,170 3,792 949,005 3.00 Fife 42,678 10,993 2,485,779 3.92 Glasgow City 105,819 56,482 11,083,000 5.33 Highland 20,097 7,184 1,031,656 2.71 Inverclyde 13,427 5,018 1,523,861 6.89 Midlothian 8,423 2,867 296,430 2.98 Moray 7,821 1,351 201,764 1.80 North Ayrshire 17,837 8,766 1,188,745 4.45 North Lanarkshire 53,774 19,219 2,201,944 2.60 Orkney Islands 1,049 256 49,568 2.70 Perth and Kinross 10,702 1,933 180,453 1.17 Renfrewshire 23,655 6,982 1,186,429 3.33 Scottish Borders 8,609 1,923 272,265 2.13 Shetland Islands 2,375 637 152,301 3.59 The Lord Advocate's Department also refined and improved the information that is provided to child witnesses and, in March 1998, he launched two new information leaflets for child witnesses who are cited to court. One leaflet is aimed at children under 12 and one is for use by children between 12 and 16. The leaflets provide information about what the child can expect when coming to court to give evidence.
A Scottish Office-led inter-departmental Working Group was set up in late 1997 to examine the issue of vulnerable or intimidated witnesses. The Group's report will be issued as a consultative document on 2 November 1998.