6. Question No. 6—JusticeDr EMILY HENDERSON (Labour—Whangārei) to the Minister of JusticeQuestion No. 6—Justice6. Dr EMILY HENDERSON (Labour—Whangārei) to the Minister of Justice: What announcements has she made about improving victims' experiences in the justice system?Hon KIRITAPU ALLAN (Minister of Justice): The Government is delivering on its promise to improve victims' experiences in the courts and the wider justice system. In the recess I announced a series of practical changes to give victims more rights and support in the justice system. This package includes legislative changes new pilot programmes in the courts and additional funding for Victim Support and the Victim Assistance Scheme. Since 2017 the Government has made the largest ever investment in victims including direct support and system changes with the goal of ensuring the justice system serves all New Zealanders.Dr Emily Henderson: What legislative changes will be made?Hon KIRITAPU ALLAN: The Government will introduce a bill before the election that will make an immediate and meaningful difference to the lives of the victims of some of our most serious and violent crime. Currently a child sexual assault victim can be questioned as to whether they consented to sexual activity. This is unacceptable and falls well below societal expectations of how the law should work. The bill will fix the law to minimise the risk of this happening. The bill will also provide the courts with greater powers to stop litigation abuse—for example filing excessive or abusive applications in family related proceedings—and clarify the process to lift name suppression in the criminal court giving victims a clear opportunity at the time of trial to ask about having their name suppression lifted.Dr Emily Henderson: What pilot projects will be launched?Hon KIRITAPU ALLAN: The Government will launch three pilot programmes in mid-2023 to improve safety and help navigate the court system for victims of serious crimes strengthen support for child victims of sexual violence and ensure victims' views are provided in bail decisions. These will be trialled in the courts in Whangārei and Manukau over the next year with an aim to test fixes for some of the bigger gaps in the system and provide crucial evidence about what works in order to drive longer-term change. These initiatives will be evaluated adjusted according to front-line and victims' feedback and then if successful we can look at how the solutions can be scaled up.Dr Emily Henderson: What additional resources are being provided to Victim Support and the Victim Assistance Scheme?Hon KIRITAPU ALLAN: Victim Support will receive an additional $3 million in funding and $2.2 million in additional funding will be provided to the Victim Assistance Scheme. With this Victim Support will be able to employ an additional 23 front-line staff and its 187 active volunteers will be able to get better training and support to do their job. With the increase to the Victim Assistance Scheme an estimated 10000 more grants will be paid to victims. These services play a critical role in providing front-line support to victims at all stages of the criminal justice process and beyond. This announcement builds on the significant investment the Government has made since coming into office including tripling the fund for the Victim Assistance Scheme and doubling the fund for Victim Support.