Beaumont Carol: Victims’ Orders Against Violent Offenders Bill — In CommitteeText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeBeaumont Carol: Victims’ Orders Against Violent Offenders Bill — In Committee[Sitting date: 18 June 2014. Volume:699;Page:18676. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]CAROL BEAUMONT (Labour):Labour supports the Victims’ Orders Against Violent Offenders Bill. We think that Part 2 does provide with the provision of non-contact orders the opportunity to fill a gap that is currently there. There are measures currently in place to protect victims of serious crime. The Domestic Violence Act of course provides for protection orders but that means that basically victims have to have been in a situation where they were in a domestic relationship and the Harassment Act provides for restraining orders but only in circumstances of harassment. Basically the notion here is that we are talking about a non-contact order and these can be applied for as set out in in clause 7 of Part 2. A victim may not apply for such a non-contact order if another form of order is currently in place. That is important. It is not in addition to those other situations I have talked about—protection orders and restraining orders. It is a distinct situation and it will cover the sorts of situations where somebody might for example as we have seen evidenced in this country choose to live next door to somebody whom they have seriously assaulted raped or whatever.Of course we support a bill like this where we are trying to do something to recognise the ongoing effect of serious violent offending on victims and recognising that in fact we do have a real problem with serious violent offending in this country. There are no two ways about it. Of course it is interesting that we are speaking on these victims’ orders this week when we have in fact had the Glenn Inquiry report or part of it—the part that dealt with 500 interviews with people who have had violence done against them or with people who are working with women and children primarily who have been victims of domestic violence. It is quite timely that we are continuing to work our way through the Victims’ Orders Against Violent Offenders Bill.One of the other things I would point out at this stage is that although we support this bill we do have significant concerns about the piecemeal approach that is being taken around dealing with violent crime. We and I am sure colleagues of mine will be traversing this ground tonight about what we might do in a broader sense. The Glenn Inquiry does of course give us the opportunity to reflect on what we need to do. They have in that report that has been released this week raised substantive concerns about not only the magnitude of the problem we face but also the way the justice system is actually not working for victims of violent crimes. So although this bill fills a particular gap and we support it—we think it is a useful additional thing—what we would really need to be looking at if we were serious about this as a Parliament would be this whole area. We need to look at substantial reform in the justice system particularly we need to look at reform in our policing and of course we need to look at the wider issues around basically trying to prevent violent crime.I note for the record that in response to the Glenn Inquiry we had questions in the House this week where we were talking about what the Government’s response was to that Glenn Inquiry—that approach rather than a very narrow approach as is outlined in this bill. Labour suggested to the Government that we actually have some sort of cross-party consensus on issues like domestic violence; that we actually work together as a Parliament to try to look at real change across the whole range from prevention to looking after those who have been victims of violent crimes. In the Glenn Inquiry we were looking particularly at domestic violence but we also as a Parliament are very actively raising issues around sexual violence and the Social Services Committee is of course considering that issue at the moment. We really need as members of Parliament to say that we have some responsibility in this space to make change to try to prevent violent crime and also then to look after those who are victims of such violent crimes. We need to make sure that the criminal justice system does not revictimise them and does not make it too hard for them to get justice and to see those who have offended held to account for that offending.There were very good changes made in the bill as a result of the work of the select committee. I was not on that select committee but I want to acknowledge some of those changes. The select committee for example amended clause 7 of the bill to allow an application at any time after sentencing so that there is not potentially a gap at the point where the person is released from prison and there is a wider scope to the orders than parole conditions could provide. I think that was a very positive situation.There is also another concern that we have got and that is in relation to an application for an order being a civil proceeding and that victims would have to meet costs unless they qualify for legal aid. The select committee has mitigated that somewhat by allowing two types of order—temporary and final. In relation to the situation where the victim has to take their case to a judge in the presence of an offender that has been mitigated to a certain extent by allowing two types of orders temporary and final and the offender would be present only for the application to make a temporary order a final one. This would also assist in lowering cost and contact with the offender but not eliminate it. So we do continue to have a concern on that particular issue.I think the interesting point on this as I said earlier is that this is quite a specific thing. The regulatory impact statement said that potentially the number of orders that are likely to be issued on average could be as few as 10 per year. That is not a reason not to do something but I do go back to my earlier point that there is a broader range of issues that I think as a country we really do have a strong desire to see addressed. I would like to urge the Government to look more broadly at these issues; not to keep working in a piecemeal approach which is what is happening at the moment. I would suggest that we do use the opportunity created by the Glenn Inquiry to actually acknowledge that the community certainly sees the desire for a much more comprehensive collaborative and committed response to ensuring that the victims of violent crimes are not further penalised.