The Victims and Prisoners Bill is a proposed act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.[1]
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| Long title | A Bill to make provision about victims of criminal conduct and others affected by criminal conduct; about the appointment and functions of individuals to act as independent public advocates for victims of major incidents; about the release of prisoners; about the membership and functions of the Parole Board; to prohibit certain prisoners from forming a marriage or civil partnership; and for connected purposes. |
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| Introduced by | The Lord Bellamy, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice (Lords) |
| History of passage through Parliament | |
The bill makes provision for the establishment of an Independent Advocate to support victims of major incidents, and makes changes to the parole system of England and Wales, allowing government ministers to veto the release of some prisoners. Ministers will also have the power to restrict marriage in prisons in England and Wales for those serving whole life orders.[2][3]
Parliamentary passage edit
The Bill was introduced to the House of Commons by the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, Dominic Raab, on 29 March 2023.[4] It was reintroduced as a carry-over Bill by Alex Chalk, the new Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice to the Commons on 8 November 2023, following the 2023 State Opening of Parliament.
In December 2023, an amendment was added to the bill that would establish a compensation scheme for victims of the contaminated haemophilia blood products scandal. The government failed to prevent the amendment in a vote in the House of Commons, despite a three-line whip, in what was seen as a significant blow to the Sunak administration's authority.[5][6]
The Bill was passed by the Commons on 4 December 2023 and introduced to the House of Lords by Lord Bellamy on 6 December 2023. The Bill received significant amendments through the Lords, most prominently the entire Victims' Code being introduced by an amendment tabled by Baroness Chakrabarti, to place the Victims' Code on a statutory footing on the face of the Bill.[7] The Bill is currently at Report Stage in the House of Lords.
References edit
- ^ "Victims and Prisoners Bill". Parliamentary Bills.
- ^ Russell, Rachel (29 March 2023). "Ministers can veto prisoners' parole in Victims and Prisoners Bill". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
- ^ "Raab gives himself power to veto prisoners' release and ban inmates getting married". The Independent. 29 March 2023. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
- ^ "Victims placed at heart of justice system under radical shakeup". HM Government of the United Kingdom. 29 March 2023. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
- ^ "Ministers lose infected blood vote after Tory MPs revolt". BBC News. 4 December 2023. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
- ^ Cowburn, Ashley (4 December 2023). "Rishi Sunak suffers humiliating Commons defeat over Infected blood scandal". The Mirror. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
- ^ "Victims and Prisoners Bill - Baroness Chakrabarti's amendment - Committee stage - NS1". Parliamentary Bills.