Speeches by Davies-Jones.

“That is correct and I am confident to say that our impact evaluation that was independently peer-reviewed showed that there was no difference in those conviction rates, and we stand by that.”

“I judge the success of section 28 by having more victims and survivors engaged in the process not wanting to drop out of the criminal justice system. If it means the difference between a vulnerable witness wanting to stay engaged and wanting to give their evidence than them pulling out altogether, to me that is a succe…”

“I heard this come up in the previous evidence session. It is not something we have currently, no, but you will be aware of the Leveson review, as I have already said, in terms of how we improve the backlog in our Crown Courts, specifically for those who are victims of specific cases that we know are taking far too long…”

“It is as soon as possible.”

“I want to publish it as soon as possible, but we want to get it right. We do not want to have to revise it or it not being received well by women and girls, the country, the sector. It has to be right. I do not want to say that this is our one chance, but it is a strategy that will outline the direction of Government p…”

“It is a very ambitious target. As you said, it is a huge undertaking and one that we are not doing lightly. We have delayed the strategy and we are working across government to get it to the right place to publish as soon as possible. The spending review was recently conducted, as you will be aware. Now each Department…”

“I think that if section 28 is the best way of giving evidence for that vulnerable or intimidated witness, we should be looking at how best to keep them engaged in the criminal justice system. If it means the difference between them giving their evidence and it getting to court rather than them pulling out of the system…”

“It is listening, primarily, to those on the ground operating this day to day, whether that be victims directly, the sector, the CPS, the judiciary, HMCTS, all our represented stakeholders here. It is important that we make sure that we have the best technological equipment, as I have already said, so that this evidence…”

“Yes, absolutely. You mentioned the CPS. We have been working closely with the Office of the Solicitor General and the CPS specifically on this, and there is now a payment available to these barristers, an extra £1,000 if they take part in the pre-trial evidence hearings, to make that more attractive for them to be able…”

“Yes, it will be looking at special measures as part of the efficacy.”

“Our impact evaluation on section 28 has shown some real benefits to victims. Rape Crisis England and Wales has said that having access to section 28 has meant a victim being engaged in the criminal justice process and choosing to stay and seek a criminal prosecution or not. That speaks volumes, especially when we know …”

“No, we have no current scope to expand the criteria from which victims are eligible to use section 28 or other special measures. We are keen, as you will have heard, to make sure that the existing cohort is able to access the measures in the best possible way, via the best digital audio and video equipment available, a…”

“No, not currently, Chair. If the witness is an intimidated witness or a vulnerable witness, as per the categories currently set out under the criteria, they are eligible, but it is not currently given to all domestic abuse victims.”

“We do have the data on that, Chair. Since 2022, since the overall roll-out happened, the number of witnesses that have accessed it are around 8,609. For adult rape cases, it is just under 20% of all those cases now are using section 28. That is one of many several measures, as Committee members will be aware, that vict…”

“Not so much resource or capacity, it is more that we want to understand how best it is being used currently and make sure that we get it to the right place for existing cohorts of victims rather than expanding it or reducing it.”

“I will happily write to you on that. I am happy to come back to you.”

“I will be continuing to work with the probate service and officials to ensure that we provide the best efficient and user-friendly service that we possibly can.”

“I have had positive meetings with the probate service on this, looking at complex cases. The head of the probate service has put in place brilliant review mechanisms and has improved the system. On complex cases it is still quite slow and we recognise that. We are looking and working together to see how best we can spe…”

“I am indeed, at present. I have not heard anything different yet, Sir Ashley.”

“We are a member of the ECHR, we will continue to be a member of the ECHR, and that applies here in our country. We will be consulting on a new victims code in due course to make sure that it is fit for purpose in the modern era. As you have said, it has been quite a while since that was updated. I particularly have an …”