§ Mrs. Curtis-ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department who are the members of the Victims Steering Group; how often the group meet; and whether minutes of the meetings are available to the public. [37002]
§ Mr. Keith BradleyThe Victims Steering Group, formed in 1985, meets twice a year and its membership is comprised of representatives from the following:
- Home Office Justice and Victims Unit
- Home Office National Probation Directorate
- Home Office Research and Statistics Unit
- Prison Service
- Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority
- Association of Chief Police Officers
- Association of Chief Officers of Probation
- Crown Prosecution Service
- Lord Chancellor's Department
- Justices' Clerk's Society
- Magistrates Association
- Judiciary
- Victim Support.
The minutes of meetings are not published. The Victims Steering Group was formally disbanded at a meeting in November 2001, as it was recognised that the new services for victims in recent years, together with planned developments, required a more proactive, delivery focused national group. Consideration is being given currently to the terms of reference and membership of this replacement body.
§ Mrs. Curtis-ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how victims are classified for the purposes of the Victims' Charter; and how many victims have utilised the service since its inception, broken down by(a) region and (b) type. [36999]
§ Mr. Keith BradleyThe Victims' Charter applies to all individual victims of theft, burglary, criminal damage, arson, assault, domestic violence, racial harassment, sexual crimes and homicide. It also applies to the parents or carers of child victims of any of these offences, and to the relatives or close friends of homicide victims.
The second version of the Charter, published in 1996, sets out 27 standards of service which victims should expect to receive from individual criminal justice agencies—the police, the Crown Prosecution Service, the courts, the National Probation Service, the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority, the Prison Service, and Victim Support.
1390WNo central record is kept of the number of victims who have made use of the services provided by each agency since the first Charter was introduced in 1990.
§ Mrs. Curtis-ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what extra help victims of serious crime have received; how many victims have received extra help(a) per year and (b) broken down by region; and how serious crime is defined in this respect. [37004]
§ Mr. Keith BradleyVictim Support offer help and support to all victims of crime, and will gauge how much help a victim needs according to the seriousness of the offence and the effect it has had on the victim. Most victims of crime will be automatically referred to Victim Support by the police, unless the victim specifically states he/she does not want this to happen. Victims of serious crimes will only have their details passed to Victim Support with their expressed consent. In this context, serious crimes are defined as sexual offences, domestic violence or homicide.
Information is not collected centrally which lists how many victims have received extra help (a) per year and (b) broken down by region.
§ Mrs. Curtis-ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which agencies have consulted victims since 1977; what the subject of the consultation was; and whether the reports are available to the public. [37003]
§ Mr. Keith BradleyInformation is not collected centrally on which agencies have consulted victims; what the subject of the consultation was; or whether the reports are available to the public.
The most significant recent consultation involving victims was a review of the Victims' Charter. A consultation paper was issued on 28 February 2001 seeking views on issues such as a bill of rights for victims, the establishment of a Victims' Ombudsman, and whether victims of road traffic incidents should receive the services provided to victims of crime. The consultation period ended on 15 June 2001, and 120 responses were received, including 49 from individual victims. A summary of responses was placed in the Library and on the Home Office website in July 2001.
§ Mrs. Curtis-ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how victims are informed of the(a) Victims' Charter and (b) Victims' Support Group. [37000]
§ Mr. Keith BradleyAfter reporting a crime, all victims will be given the opportunity, by the police, to be contacted by Victim Support if they so wish. At or about the same time, the "Victims of Crime" leaflet is also issued by the police, and it outlines how Victim Support can be contacted directly. Victims are also made aware of Victim Support through television programmes such as "Crimewatch UK".
The Victims' Charter is available at police stations, at Victim Support Schemes, and from some public libraries and is published on the Home Office website.
§ Mrs. Curtis-ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how criminals in prison are informed of the victim support service; and how many visits have been undertaken by the victim support service 1391W to prisoners who have alleged that they have been sexually abused, broken down by prison since inception of the service. [37074]
§ Mr. Keith BradleyVictim Support is an independent charitable organisation which receives grant aid from the Home Office (£25 million in 2001–02) to provide support to victims of crime and to witnesses.
There is no requirement for Prison Service staff to inform prisoners who allege that they have become victims of crime about the services of Victim Support. However, if a prisoner had a need for such information and sought it from a member of staff, such as his personal officer, probation officer or a health care worker, the information would be provided.
Victim Support advise that they work from a non-judgmental position, and accept that a prisoner can become a victim and thus qualify for their support. Victim Support schemes are accordingly willing to visit prisoners on request and with permission from the prison authorities. They do not collate data on how many prison visits have taken place.
§ Mrs. Curtis-ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many criminals in prison who are victims of crime(a) have been taken to visit courts before their case is started and (b) have had seats reserved for a friend or relative, broken down by area since inception of the service; and what recent research he has undertaken to examine the link between abused children and their potential to become abusive adults. [37073]
§ Mr. Keith BradleyThe Witness Service, run by the voluntary organisation Victim Support, can arrange pre-trial visits to familiarise victims of crime with the layout of the court and the courtroom. No statistics are collected on how many victims, including those serving prison sentences, take advantage of this opportunity, nor how often seats are reserved for a friend or relative during the trial itself.
1392W
Number of persons1 in prison in Wales on the 30 of each year broken down by year and offence groups Offence group 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 20022 Affray 29 22 23 33 24 19 Arson 11 20 23 18 18 36 Assaults 11 11 16 17 22 39 Blackmail 1 2 1 5 1 2 Breach of court order 8 24 20 21 19 19 Buggery and indecency between males 27 25 26 27 19 26 Burglary 237 350 373 315 291 332 Criminal damage 53 55 54 32 43 56 Cruelty to children 2 2 4 1 2 7 Drug offences 124 206 206 186 248 280 Drunkenness 2 1 3 1 8 — Forgery 2 3 2 — 4 2 Frauds 25 29 24 21 30 29 Gross indecency with children 37 44 35 42 44 42 Handling stolen goods 33 31 40 21 24 34 Immigration Act 1971 3 4 — — 47 2 In charge or driving drink/drugs 13 31 27 23 30 22 Kidnapping 5 3 12 6 11 6 Manslaughter 2 5 5 11 9 16 Murder 28 27 23 27 33 33 Not recorded — — — — 1 1 Offence not recorded 19 18 53 46 35 41 Other criminal offences 15 41 42 38 38 32 Other homicide and attempted homicide 28 49 47 43 33 51 Other motoring offences 92 97 115 134 135 138 Other non-criminal offences 4 2 3 — — 2 Other offences of VATP 25 37 26 37 30 35 The Home Department has not conducted any recent research to examine the link between abused children and their potential to become abusive adults.