Graham Evans: What effect he expects the victims code to have on the experience of victims in the criminal justice system.
The Minister for Policing, Criminal Justice and Victims (Damian Green): The victims code will have a positive effect on the experience of victims in the criminal justice system. The new code gives victims clearer entitlements; a louder voice, including a right to read a victim personal statement aloud; enhanced entitlements for victims of the most serious crime, and vulnerable or intimidated and persistently targeted victims; and a more effective means of redress.
Graham Evans: What assessment has the Minister’s Department made of how the victims code will support the victims of human trafficking?
Damian Green: The new victims code provides an enhanced service for victims of the most serious crime and that includes victims of human trafficking. This will enable them to have quicker updates on the status of their case and to have referral to pre-trial therapy and counselling, which is often appropriate in those cases.