Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what obligations the Government places on police and crime commissioners to commission local victims’ services to meet the specific and ongoing needs of British (a) nationals and (b) residents who have been direct victims or witnesses of a terrorist attack in the UK or abroad.

Dr Phillip Lee

This Government is committed to ensuring that victims of terrorism can access effective and timely support to help them cope, and as far as possible, recover from the trauma they have experienced.

This year we have given Police and Crime Commissioners grant funding of nearly £68m to provide emotional and practical support services for all victims of crime, including victims of terrorism, who reside within their area.

Witnesses in the criminal justice system, including witnesses of terrorist attacks, are also entitled to support as set out under the Witness Charter for England and Wales. These entitlements are currently being met through the nationally commissioned court based witness service.