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To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment has been made of (a) interviewing and (b) therapeutic techniques used with sex offence victims. - Inc refs to 'Achieving Best Evidence in Criminal Proceedings: Guidance for Vulnerable or Intimidated Witnesses, including Children' and 'Provision of Therapy for...

Asked by

Claire Curtis-Thomas (Labour)

Answering body

Home Office

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

15 November 2004

Reference

196646; 426 c1142-3W;426 c1146-7W

House

House of Commons

Home Office

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what alternatives to court attendance are available for witnesses in sex offence cases.

Asked by

Claire Curtis-Thomas (Labour)

Answering body

Home Office

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Tabled on

2 November 2004

For answer on

15 November 2004

Answered on

15 November 2004

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what alternatives to court attendance are available for witnesses in sex offence cases. [196645] Paul Goggins: The Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999 provides a range of measures to assist vulnerable or intimidated witnesses to give their best evidence. The special measures include video-recorded evidence in chief and live links. These provisions enable a witness to give their evidence from outside the courtroom and, in some cases, the witness may not have to attend the court building at all. Sections 16 and 17 of the 1990 Act define the categories of witness eligible for special measures. Complainants in sexual offence proceedings are automatically eligible witnesses by virtue of section 17 unless they say that they do not want to be. All witnesses aged under 17 at the time of the hearing are automatically eligible witnesses by virtue of section 16. Other witnesses will be eligible for assistance if the court determines that the quality of their evidence would be diminished by reason of a mental disorder, or a learning disability or a physical disability or disorder (under section 16) or because of their fear and distress at testifying (section 17). All child witnesses in sexual offence cases are entitled to have a video recording admitted as their evidence in chief and otherwise give their evidence via a live link unless the court decides that this would be against the interests of justice. For adults the court needs to be satisfied that the provision of special measures would improve the quality of the witness' evidence. The introduction of special measures is being phased to enable evaluation of how they are working and to provide time for agencies to prepare for full implementation. Video recorded evidence in chief is available in all cases in the Crown Court to all witnesses eligible under section 16, which includes all child witnesses. It is also available to child witnesses in sexual offence cases heard in magistrates' courts. Additionally, this measure is available to witnesses eligible under section 17 in a limited number of pilot courts. Live links are available to all section 16 or section 17 witnesses in the Crown Court and to child witnesses in sexual offence cases in magistrates' courts. Live links are also available to adult witnesses as a pilot in West London Magistrates' Court.

Legislation

Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999

Date

15 November 2004

Reference

196645; 426 c1141-2W;426 c1145-6W

House

House of Commons

Home Office

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will assess the effectiveness of the guidance on vulnerable and intimidated witnesses under the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999.

Asked by

Claire Curtis-Thomas (Labour)

Answering body

Home Office

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

26 January 2004

Reference

417 c234W;417 c234-5W; 146290

House

House of Commons

Home Office

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what percentage of witnesses on Merseyside applied for special measures in giving evidence in the last year for which figures are available; and how many and what percentage had their request granted; what assessment has been made...

Asked by

Claire Curtis-Thomas (Labour)

Answering body

Home Office

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Tabled on

29 December 2003

For answer on

26 January 2004

Answered on

26 January 2004

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many and what percentage of witnesses on Merseyside applied for special measures in giving evidence in the last year for which figures are available; and how many and what percentage had their request granted; [146240] (2) what assessment has been made of witnesses' reactions to the special measures available in Merseyside to allow them to give their best evidence in court; [146241] (3) what research has been undertaken on witnesses' views of their treatment by Merseyside Crown Prosecution Service. [146242] Paul Goggins: In 2003 the Crown court at Liverpool received 497 applications for Special Measures. Information on the number of applications received by magistrates courts and youth courts is not held centrally. The number and percentage of successful requests in the Crown court is also not held centrally. These figures could be produced only at disproportionate cost. Surveys of witnesses' views towards special measures were conducted before and after the first phase of implementation of the special measures. The findings of the pre-implementation survey were published in 2001 (Home Office Research Findings 147, http:// www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs/r147.pdf). The post- implementation survey was conducted in 2003 and is currently being written-up. The Witness Satisfaction Surveys of 2000 and 2002 measured general witness satisfaction with various agencies, including the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs/hors230.pdf, http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs/r133.pdf, http:// www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs2/f189.pdf Witnesses interviewed for these surveys were drawn from courts throughout England and Wales and analysis was done on that basis. Apart from the disproportionate cost of gathering the information requested, the number of interviews carried out in Merseyside would probably be too small to allow statistically meaningful analysis.

Date

26 January 2004

Reference

417 c217-8W; 146240;146241;146242

House

House of Commons

Home Office

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, in what circumstances it will be necessary to impose conditions before charge to ensure that a person accused of a crime (a) surrenders to custody, (b) does not commit an offence while on bail and (c) does not interfere with...

Asked by

Claire Curtis-Thomas (Labour)

Answering body

Home Office

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

14 October 2003

Reference

411 c29W;411 c45W; 127674;128630

House

House of Commons

Home Office

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the impact of the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999 on the experience of vulnerable witnesses. - Inc ref to www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs/rl47.pdf.

Asked by

Claire Curtis-Thomas (Labour)

Answering body

Home Office

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

6 October 2003

Reference

128648; 410 c1255-6W

House

House of Commons

Solicitor-General

To ask the Solicitor General, what training CPS staff have received in achieving Best Evidence guidance on preparing for and conducting interviews with vulnerable and intimidated witnesses; and which and how many staff have been trained on each CPS area. - (Holding answer 10 June 2002).

Asked by

Claire Curtis-Thomas (Labour)

Answering body

Solicitor General

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

19 September 2002

Reference

60227; 390 c83W

House

House of Commons

Solicitor-General

To ask the Solicitor General, what inquiries are being held by the CPS concerning the measures needed to enable vulnerable or intimidated witnesses to give their best evidence. - (Holding answer 10 June 2002).

Asked by

Claire Curtis-Thomas (Labour)

Answering body

Solicitor General

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

19 September 2002

Reference

60228; 390 c82W

House

House of Commons

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