Christina Rees Shadow Minister (Justice):
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will make an assessment of the effect of not ring-fencing funding for Police and Crime Commissioner spending on restorative justice on the availability of such justice for victims of crime; and if she will make a statement.
Phillip Lee The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice:
The government funds Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) to deliver a range of services for victims of crime, including restorative justice services. We did, from 2013/14 to 2015/16, set out an indicative budget for restorative justice services for victims, however, this money was never ring-fenced. It was always available to PCCs to spend on wider victims’ services in line with the principle that PCCs are well placed to determine what services are required in their local areas.
We are working with PCCs to introduce consistent outcome measures across all victim services, including restorative justice. This will allow us to take a more detailed and systematic approach to identifying and sharing good practice and driving up performance.
