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Northern Ireland Office

Answer

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland who the Victims' Commissioner for Northern Ireland is; what his remit is; and if he will make a statement. [179730] Mr. Spellar: There is no Victims Commissioner for Northern Ireland. The idea of a Victims Commissioner was first put forward as a recommendation by Sir Kenneth Bloomfield in his report, "We Will Remember Them", which looked at possible ways of recognising the pain and suffering of victims of the Troubles. Since its publication in 1998 Government have implemented the majority of his recommendations. However, the appointment of a Victims Commissioner was not pursued. A Victims Minister was appointed and since then over £20 million has been allocated to victims initiatives. The role of Victims Commissioner as envisaged in the report was primarily that of a watchdog over the services and advice available to victims. The Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister are taking much of this work forward in their cross- departmental strategy; the consultation exercise they carried out indicated no clear view on the establishment of such a post. Government are currently reviewing their strategy for addressing the needs of victims of the Troubles, including how we deal with the past. This review will inform the development of the next phase of victims policy. We cannot pre-empt the outcome of the review. The Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Bill will make statutory provision for a Victims Commissioner in England and Wales who will champion the interests of victims and witnesses of all offences. The provisions have not been extended to Northern Ireland as the Criminal Justice Review made specific recommendations regarding victims and witnesses. The Review recommended that a group comprising of both statutory and voluntary bodies should be set up to maintain a specific focus on victims issues. The Victims, Vulnerable or Intimidated Witnesses Steering Group, representative of criminal justice agencies and Victim Support (NI), fulfils this role. The Review also recommended that the possibility of an advocate should be considered again in the future if new arrangements on behalf of victims are seen not to be working.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

179730; 423 c544-5W

Session

2003-04

Subjects

Finance Northern Ireland Public appointments Terrorism Victims Violence Victim support schemes

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk