Written answers

Wednesday, 14 December 2011

Department of Justice, Equality and Defence

Victims Charter

10:00 pm

Photo of Jonathan O'BrienJonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 208: To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality his plans to ensure the criminal justice agencies are implementing the victims charter. [40148/11]

Photo of Alan ShatterAlan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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The present version of the Victims Charter was published in July 2010. I want to see the Victims Charter implemented in full by all bodies covered by the Charter so that the experience of the victim of crime when engaging with the criminal justice system is improved.

A key prerequisite for implementing the Charter is that the public in general and victims in particular are aware of their rights under the Charter. To this end, the Charter has been certified as written in Plain English, and has been translated into Irish and six other languages. These translations as well as an array of booklets produced by the criminal justice agencies and others have been assembled on the website of the Victims of Crime Office. Almost 15,000 hard copies of the Victims Charter in English have been circulated to criminal justice agencies, organisations supporting victims of crime and others.

Monitoring of their own performance by the criminal justice agencies in relation to commitments contained in the Victims Charter is necessary to secure implementation of the Charter. I have instructed my officials to review progress to date in this regard in a series of meetings with the criminal justice agencies early in the new year.

I understand that the Commission for the Support of Victims of Crime, an independent body funded by my Department, convened a day long Victims of Crime Consultative Forum, in September 2010, devoted entirely to the implementation of the Victims Charter. Its title was "Making the new Victims Charter work". There were robust discussions between organisations representing victims' interests and the five main criminal justice agencies which made presentations at this Forum.

I am informed that An Garda Síochána has held three National Victims Support Fora at Garda Headquarters at which victims organisations were advised of improvements in Garda services to victims. The Courts Service also holds regional user group meetings, including meetings with victims of crime.

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