Parole Board publishes protocol on victim participation in hearings

Following a consultation with stakeholders representing both victims and prisoners, the Parole Board has today published a protocol that sets out a code of practice for victim participation in Parole Board hearings. This formal policy details the parameters of victim participation so that expectations are set and the Board can ensure that it meets its legal obligations to provide fair hearings.

For some time the Parole Board has been allowing victims to make written statements for consideration by the panel. These statements are commonly known as victim personal statements. On occasion, there have been applications for victims to attend hearings in order to present their victim personal statements in person. To date, such applications have been dealt with on a case by case basis.

Since the first victim participation in an oral hearing took place in November 2007, increasing numbers of victims or their families have taken up the opportunity to attend a hearing or submit a victim personal statement. Since then, the Public Protection Casework Section at the Ministry of Justice has recorded 67 victim personal statements being submitted, of which 19 were read out by advocates on behalf of victims and 21 involved victims or their families personally attending a hearing to make the statement.

In order to ensure that the expectations of victims, offenders, prison law practitioners, Ministry of Justice and other interested parties could be properly met, a formal policy on victim participation was drafted by the Parole Board’s Procedural Guidance Committee and put out for public consultation. Responses to the consultation were received from 30 different parties, including victims’ groups, prison law practitioners, partner agencies and Parole Board members.

The Rt Hon Sir David Latham, Chairman of the Parole Board, said:

“The Parole Board recognises the significance of giving victims a voice by allowing them to submit a statement for consideration by the panel and by enabling them to apply to attend and present that statement in person. The Parole Board also recognises that such inclusive processes for victims in the parole process can be emotionally difficult for victims and for offenders alike.

“We do appreciate that there has been some lack of clarity around what the purpose and benefit is of this engagement by victims. The aim of the policy is to formalise the parameters of both victim personal statements and victim participation in Parole Board hearings so that expectations are set and the Board can ensure that it meets its obligations under common law to provide fair hearings.”

NEW PLEDGE TO SUPPORT YOUNG VICTIMS OF CRIME IN LEWISHAM

A pioneering Government programme which supports young victims of crime in Lewisham, as well as helping them to keep themselves safe, will be rolled-out nationwide, Justice Minister Bridget Prentice announced today.

Around 13,000 young people at risk of becoming a victim of crime including anti-social behaviour, knife or gang related crime have already been reached through the work of five innovative pilots. These pilots also enable young victims to deal with the impact of a crime and move on with their lives. From today the Government is pledging a further half a million pounds to helping new projects learn from their success.

Working hand in hand with local communities, police, schools and voluntary groups, these pilots have identified the needs of their local young people and put in place a range of services, advice and tailor-made support.

Whilst visiting one of the successful pilots in Lewisham, Bridget Prentice said:

“Young people are more likely to experience crime than adults, and are also the least likely to report what has happened. This can often result in them not knowing where to go to access help.

“That is why programmes like this are so important. These pilots have already had great success, in less than one year, and demonstrate just what can be achieved when local communities, supported by Government and the police, pull together to tackle the issues they face.

“Lewisham, the project I am visiting today, is a model example of how we can help keep our young people safe, help those who have been a victim of crime re-build their lives and support them so they don’t turn to crime in response to being a victim.

“Now I want to encourage more communities across England and Wales to establish their own projects – using the success of these five pilots as an important guide.”

Part of the Youth Crime Action Plan, this programme encourages the police, local authority and voluntary sector to make a public pledge setting out what support will be provided to the young people within their communities by offering services ranging from workshops, drop-in sessions, school assemblies, music, sport and youth clubs to outdoor activity breaks and one-to-one support.

Chief Inspector Graham Price, Chair of the Lewisham Youth Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conference (MARAC) Board said:

“Young people are less likely to come forward and report crimes and therefore less able to access the existing wide network of support that is available. We’re determined to support young people if they do become victims of crime and our pledge to the young people of Lewisham sets out what they can expect.”

The Government’s Youth Task Force will now use the funding announced today to help other areas across England and Wales replicate the success of the five pilots.

Lewisham built on its existing provision for young victims of crime and established a Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conference (MARAC) for young victims of the most serious crimes.

Lewisham is one of the Youth Crime Action Plan priority areas who have received funding to develop a comprehensive package of measures to prevent and tackle youth crime through the triple-track approach of tough enforcement, non-negotiable support and prevention.

CONFUSION OVER CALMAN AS UK GOVERNMENT TRIES TO WALK AWAY

MINISTRY PLAYS DUMB OVER COST INFORMATION

A Freedom of Information request to the UK Ministry of Justice has thrown up confusion over responsibility for the under fire Calman Commission after the UK Government claimed to have no information on its cost.

The answer comes despite minutes of the Commission from 2008 stating the Ministry of Justice was contributing £500,000 and the Scotland Office confirming that contribution in a parliamentary answer in July 2009.

The FoI request asked the Ministry of Justice – the department with responsibility for constitutional affairs “what the costs have been of the Calman Commission”. The Ministry has replied saying “the information you have requested is not held by the MoJ”.

However in minutes of the Commission’s Engagement group from May 2008 it states; “The Secretariat advised that a budget of around £500K had been allocated for the work of the Commission by the Ministry of Justice.”

The Commission’s report has come under pressure this week as more economists challenged the tax proposals and claimed they could be damaging to Scotland’s economy.

At £614,000 in total the cost of the exclusive Calman Commission tops that of the National Conversation which is considering all constitutional options and is currently holding open meetings with the public across Scotland.

Commenting on the response from the Ministry of Justice SNP MSP Linda Fabiani said:

“It now seems no one wants to take responsibility for the Calman Commission.

“For the UK Government to claim in a Freedom of Information response that it doesn’t have information when it clearly does is despicable.

“The UK Government is trying to walk away as fast as possible in the hope people will forget Calman ever existed. There is clearly no desire in London to transfer powers to Scotland - if there is, what are we waiting for.

“The UK Government refuses to accept that it paid for this report and is now refusing to transfer the recommended powers that everyone agrees on such as gun control, drink driving and road safety.

“Meanwhile Calman’s recommendation on taxation faces continued criticism from leading economists and has been exposed as damaging to Scotland’s economic prosperity – regardless of whether taxes go up or down.

"With Unionist parties lining up to kick Calman into the long grass it is only the the open and inclusive National Conversation that is listening to the views of all of Scotland on constitutional change.”

SNP MP and Constitutional Affairs Spokesman Pete Wishart said;

"I will be investigating with the Ministry of Justice why they failed to provide clear information to a simple request.

"For them to deny information about the cost of Calman, when the minutes of the Commission record a £500,000 contribution is a disgrace

"At £614,000 the UK Government's failure to implement the Calman recommendations makes this an incredibly expensive white elephant."

Probation budget cuts are to Blame for Sonnex. The service is falling apart

An anonymous News Rage reader writes:

"I am a Welsh Trainee Probation Officer who will qualify in September 2009 without a job. Before this horrific tragedy took place, I contacted my MP, MEP, AM and MP's from the Ministry of Justice with my concerns that although the Government state that since 1997 they have increased probation budgets, however the last two years and for the foreseeable future Probation Budgets have substantially decreased.

This has resulted in voluntary redundancies, and a re-design of the service. For the last two years newly Qualified Probation Officers have found themselves without jobs upon completion of a 2 year training programme, and natural attrition of staff through retirement and sickness are not being replaced.

The Probation service in my opinion and from practice experience is operating at dangerous levels. The Sonnex case only highlights this.

Mr Straw responded to the Sonnex case by stating that it was not a result of a lack of resources. However - in contradiction, it was recommended that the London Probation Area as a result of the Sonnex case should seek to employ 100 Probation Officers?! My question is where do they propose to get these 100 Probation Officers from during a time where newly qualified PO's are being told they have no job?

I again want to express my concerns over current probation practice. From my experience operational staff cannot manage their case loads effectively. Case loads are too high. In South Wales Probation Trust unqualified Case Administrators are now responsible for managing low risk or first time offenders. Yes I agree they are low risk, however appropriate intervention for first time offenders is vital to prevent them from further offending and prevent them from becoming another re-offending statistic. Case Administrators are not qualified to manage this.

As for the National Offender Management Service, is it completely necessary to spend billions of the tax payers money in order to simply create a process whereby prison and probation 'work better together' and sell out probation resources as a matter of financial contestability?

To sum up, the Probation service is falling apart, and failing to meet its aims in protecting the public and reducing re-offending due to a lack of resources and an ever decreasing budget. Prison levels are at an all time high which in turn means more and more offenders will be released into the community without adequate probation resources to manage them. The Government response - BUILD MORE PRISONS! Was it not considered that this will also increase the number of offenders being supervised by Probation? So More Probation Officers will be required to manage the ever increasing prison population upon their release. No probation will manage! I agree with Mr Llwyd - Lets hope that the Sonnex Case is not the first of many to come in the foreseeable future."


This comment was posted anonymously in relation to the following article:
http://daggnabbitnews.blogspot.com/2009/06/plaid-mp-highlights-lack-of-resource.html

Keep the articles coming!!!

Life's too short. Get angry about something today!

(Ministry of Justice) New measures to give communities more say in justice - 10 London Boroughs identified for new pilot

A range of new measures that gives communities more say in the way justice is delivered in their neighbourhoods, as well as making local criminal justice agencies more accountable to the people they represent, has been announced today by ministers.

This will include pioneering a new package of measures in 30 areas in England and Wales, to test a range of initiatives that will deliver justice for all and put people back at the heart of the justice system.

A third of the areas identified to form part of the Engaging Communities in Criminal Justice Green Paper are in London - Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets, Haringey, Islington, Barking & Dagenham, Lambeth, Waltham Forest, Greenwich and Brent.

A London project, from one of the pilot areas, that shows how local communities are having a say in how justice is delivered is Youth House in Canning Town, Newham, which Justice Secretary Jack Straw visited today. Youth House, which works with marginalised and disengaged young people in the area, was nominated by the local community for Community Payback, a scheme that provides the opportunity for local people to have their say on how offenders should make amends. The project was the largest single initiative undertaken by the Community Payback team in Newham, and between December 2007 and November 2008, an average of 5,830 hours of work was completed each weekend by 50 offenders, with a value of £35,155 to Youth House.

Justice Secretary Jack Straw has also launched a prototype of the first justice website to give local sentencing information in one place to ensure people have the chance to see how justice is being effected in their communities.

The Green Paper builds on the Government's commitment to ensure that justice is not only done, but seen to be done, and follows the recent launch of a campaign to give people more say in how offenders pay back in their communities - including the chance to vote on which local projects they would like Community Payback teams to complete as part of their community sentence. This comes alongside the recent appointment of Victims Champion Sara Payne and the launch of crime maps.

The 30 pioneer areas will pilot a package of measures, including:

* The introduction of Community Prosecutors with a specific role to engage with communities alongside the police, courts and others and ensure that local priorities inform casework decision making and local CPS priorities;

* Community Impact Statements which will give communities the chance to feed in their views on crimes in their area and the impact they have on local people. The statements, which are normally collated by the police, will be used by all facets of the criminal justice system such prosecution, probation and courts

* Extending the use of Citizens' Panels to give local people more say in how offenders on Community Payback schemes repay the community for their crimes through tough projects

* Establishing "Virtual Community Justice Teams" to apply a more intensive problem-solving approach to anti-social and criminal behaviour. This will tackle re-offending by identifying and offering tailored rehabilitation, such as drug assistance programmes.

Over and above this, the Government will be consulting on a number of other key initiatives. These include:

* Establishing a new Adult Restorative Justice Strategy. Restorative Justice has been used effectively by police to confront young offenders with the consequences of their actions, ensure they are able to make amends to their victims and help them to develop a sense of personal responsibility. The initiative has delivered excellent time and costs savings to the police and court system.

* Adopting Commuinity Justice problem-solving techniques in all magistrates' courts. This seeks to address issues at the root of certain types of offending - such as drug abuse - and so tackle the cycle of re-offending by giving magistrates the tools and techniques needed to put in place a specialist approach to rehabilitating such offenders;

* Involving communities more fully in the selection and deployment of District Judges (Magistrates Courts) by working with the Judicial Appointments Commission to lift the veil on how judges are selected and provide more transparency to the public. We also plan to increase the representation of magistrates from a wider range of backgrounds by working with employers and looking at the ways to make it easier for people in full time employment to be magistrates;

* Creating a system of "hallmarks" for magistrates' courts entitled "Justice in the Community" - Re-positioning magistrates' courts to reinforce their purpose in delivering justice for and within local communities.

* Increasing volunteering in Criminal Justice Services through increased promotion of opportunities through the Local Criminal Justice Boards.

Justice Secretary Jack Straw said:

"I want people to have full confidence in the justice system. An important part of this is ensuring that justice is done and seen to be done.

"The chance of becoming a victim of crime is the lowest in 25 years; the challenge now is to increase public confidence.

"The package we are announcing today represents a fundamental shift towards giving communities more of a say in the justice system.

"We have already made major improvements in this area. Today's announcement is the next stage. People must have more influence in how justice is delivered in their villages, towns and cities - and that is exactly what today's Green Paper sets out to achieve."

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said:

"The public are our best weapon in fighting crime. That is why we want to make sure people have their views heard and that they are kept updated on what has and is being done by the criminal justice system. The recent Policing Green Paper, the Casey Review and the Policing Pledge are all about giving the police the freedom to do their job and giving the public more say on crime in their neighbourhoods.

"If people understand and trust the criminal justice system and see it as a public service, they will be able to get on with their lives without fear of crime, secure in the knowledge that there are tough consequences for those who break the rules. This document provides an opportunity for the people to have a say on a crucial system which has their needs at its heart."

The Attorney General, Baroness Scotland QC, superintends the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), which is responsible for deciding the charge and taking to court the majority of criminal cases in England and Wales.

Baroness Scotland said:

"Prosecutors are increasingly engaged with the people they serve, routinely engaging with victims and witnesses in person, and explaining decisions to communities and the wider public.

"The community prosecutor approach will enable the CPS to be more visible to, and better understood by, their local communities. Community prosecutors will enhance our ability to respond to local needs and circumstances, with local prosecution teams informed about matters of local concern, understanding the communities they serve and building strong links with people from surrounding neighbourhoods."

Jack Straw added:

"This is a real opportunity for people to have a say - to make their voice heard on such a vital issue for them and for their community. I urge them to take this opportunity."

Responses can be made online, via email or by post. Details of how to respond as well as a summary of the Green Paper, and a link to the full Green Paper document can be found online. The consultation will run until Friday 31 July 2009.

Online consultation tool is available at: http://consultations.cjsonline.gov.uk/?conid=1

email: EngagingCommunities@cjs.gsi.gov.uk

Postal responses to:
Engaging Communities in Criminal Justice Consultation Responses
Race, Confidence & Justice Unit
Office for Criminal Justice Reform
Ground Floor (NW) Fry Building
2 Marsham Street
London SW1P 4DF

(Ministry of Justice) Domestic Violence: eighteen new Special Courts announced

Victims of Domestic Violence will receive extra help and support from 18 new Specialist Domestic Violence Courts, Justice Minister Bridget Prentice announced today.

The new courts will be located in Eastern England, East Midlands, London, North East, North West, South West, West Midlands and Yorkshire and Humberside. The Government has a target to have a total of 128 courts by 2011.

These courts are a fundamental part of the Government's efforts to improve the support and care provided for victims of Domestic Violence. The Specialist Domestic Violence Court programme promotes a combined approach to tackling domestic violence by the police, the Crown prosecutors, magistrates, courts and probation together with specialist support services for victims, which situates the court and the Criminal Justice System as part of a community-wide response to Domestic Violence.

Justice Minister, Bridget Prentice said:

"I am delighted to announce a further 18 Specialist Domestic Violence Courts. These courts have been a real success and are central to the package of support we offer domestic violence victims.

"It is clear by the level of interest and the standard of assessments this year that there is still an appetite locally for the development of specialist courts. This latest batch of accredited courts puts us well on the way to meeting the target of 128 Specialist Domestic Violence Courts by 2011.

"The progress made shows that the Government is absolutely committed to putting victims at the heart of the Criminal Justice System."

Key features of the courts include:

* trained and dedicated criminal justice staff with enhanced expertise in dealing with domestic violence, including magistrates specially trained in dealing with domestic violence cases
* cases clustered on a particular day to enable all agencies to focus their specialist resources
* tailored support and advice from Independent Domestic Violence Advisors

Home Office Minister Alan Campbell said:

"Domestic Violence is a devastating hidden crime which the Government condemns in all its forms. We are committed to ensuring victims are at the heart of the criminal justice system by ensuring they feel confident in coming forward and reporting these cowardly crimes. We now have 122 Specialist Domestic Violence Courts providing victims across the country with the support they need to come forward and help us bring perpetrators to justice. We know this approach is working - the number of prosecutions has nearly doubled in the past four years and an average of 72.5 per cent of cases now result in a successful prosecution.

"We also recognise the need to do more to prevent these crimes from happening in the first place, which is why we recently launched the largest cross-Government consultation on ending violence against women and girls - asking the public what more we can do to prevent and challenge the attitudes that condone it. I urge both men and women to feed in their views."

The Attorney General, Baroness Scotland QC said:

"Improving the safety of women experiencing Domestic Violence and the support that they are given is a key priority for the Government. The selection of 18 further Specialist Domestic Violence Courts will ensure that more victims of domestic violence will benefit from enhanced expertise and insight into these crimes. The Crown Prosecution Service continues to improve its performance on domestic violence cases. Specialist Domestic Violence Courts are playing a key role in increasing the number of successful outcomes"

(Ministry of Justice) Straw: New laws to aid global fight against bribery

New laws to help the UK fight bribery have today been proposed by Justice Secretary Jack Straw.

The draft Bribery Bill intends to transform the criminal law on bribery, modernising and simplifying existing legislation to allow prosecutors and the courts to deal with bribery more effectively.

It will also promote and support ethical practice by encouraging businesses to put in place anti-bribery safeguards that ensure all employees are aware of the risks surrounding bribery and that adequate systems exist to manage these.

Justice Secretary Jack Straw said:

"Bribery blights free and fair competition and adds to the cost of doing business. It has no place in British business.

"Modernisation of the law is a priority to deal with those who offer or accept bribes, and to reinforce transparency and accountability in international business. That is why we are committed to the foundation of a new and consolidated criminal law of bribery. This Bill will better help the police, prosecutors and courts to tackle bribery wherever it occurs."

The proposed Bill will:

* Make it a criminal offence to give, promise or offer a bribe and to request, agree to receive or accept a bribe either at home or abroad. The measures cover bribery of a foreign public official.

* Increase the maximum penalty for bribery from seven to 10 years' imprisonment, with an unlimited fine.

* Introduce a corporate offence of negligent failure to prevent bribery by persons working on behalf of a business. A business can avoid conviction if it can show that it generally has good systems in place to prevent bribery.

* Ensure evidence from proceedings in Parliament can be considered by the Courts in bribery cases by removing Parliamentary Privilege in the prosecution of an MP or Peer.

The draft Bill distinguishes between bribery and legitimate business exchanges by setting out the circumstances in which a criminal offence has been committed.

Trade Minister Gareth Thomas said:

"There is no excuse for bribery - it cheats consumers and honest businesses alike. These proposals will make sure that anyone who resorts to it faces the full force of the law.

"British businesses must meet the highest ethical standards in all their activities, both in the UK and around the world."

Serious Fraud Office Director Richard Alderman said:

"This is an excellent step forward in providing a modern legislative framework to tackle alleged bribery offending."

Detective Chief Superintendent in the Economic Crime Department at the City of London Police, Steve Head, said:

"Whilst successfully employing existing legislation against UK and overseas individuals, we welcome the introduction of the Draft Bribery Bill to further assist us in our fight against corporately corrupt companies operating in the UK and abroad.

"Had we been able to employ this proposed bribery legislation earlier, our effectiveness in seeking out the full extent of corporate criminal liability might well have proved greater."

On his role as the Government's Anti-Corruption Champion, Jack Straw, commented:

"The Government has undertaken a concerted programme of action over the last two years to co-ordinate and to improve our anti-corruption systems through annual anti-corruption action plans. I will drive forward work to develop a comprehensive UK strategy for tackling foreign bribery, which includes the draft Bribery Bill. This will strengthen our work with international partners, establishing a clear legal, regulatory and policy framework."

(Ministry of Justice) Boosting public confidence in legal regulation

Confidence for consumers of legal services is the aim behind the LSB's consultation on regulatory independence, published today.

The separation of regulation from representation was a key plank of the reforms made possible by the Legal Services Act 2007.The LSB was created in large degree to address lack of trust in the current regulatory framework. This was identified by the Clementi Review, the White Paper and the Parliamentary debates on Bill prior to enactment.

Launching the consultation exercise, Chairman David Edmonds said:

"The Legal Services Act is designed to put the interests of consumers at the heart of regulation. The Act on its own is not enough. Consumers have to see benefits flow from changes in legislation. The Legal Services Board is here to make sure they do. Our proposals on regulatory independence are a first step to achieving the tangible change that's necessary.

"Ensuring that the consumer interest really is placed at the heart of the system is essential. Confidence in regulatory process will be good for consumers, good for the profession and at the heart of the public interest."

The consultation paper published today sets out proposals for rules that would require the separation of regulatory work from any representative work within the eight approved regulators designated under statute. It also deals with rules necessary to approve the level of practising fees, charged by the approved regulators and paid by lawyers as a condition of being authorised to practise. Together, the proposed rules should see appropriately resourced regulatory bodies pursuing an agenda that is demonstrably in the public interest.

LSB Chief Executive Chris Kenny said:

"Under the Legal Services Act, we are required to make rules on regulatory independence. That independence is not yet a done deal - we need to provide the detailed rules under the Act's broad framework.

"We therefore want to encourage as wide a range of stakeholders as possible to engage with us on this consultation. We need consumer input and we need lawyer input. The Act has given us a one-in-a-generation opportunity: we now have to make sure we get it right."

The consultation exercise will run until 26 June. Following the consultation, it is envisaged that rules will be made in the autumn, coming into force early in 2010.

(Ministry of Justice) Rights and responsibilities

A national debate is launched today to explore whether a clearer common understanding of our rights and responsibilities might be built by articulating them in a single text - a Bill of Rights and Responsibilities.

The green paper published today in Parliament, Rights and Responsibilities: developing our constitutional framework, also asks what should be included in any future statement.

Launching the green paper today, Jack Straw, Justice Secretary, said:
"In difficult times, people need to know that their fundamental rights and freedoms are protected, whatever happens in the world around them, and that others will behave responsibly towards them.

"That is why the Government has emphasised the importance of fair chances, fair rules and having a fair say; that everyone should play by the rules.

"We believe it is important that people know their rights and their responsibilities. That common knowledge helps bind us together as a nation.

"This Government is proud to have introduced the Human Rights Act and will not backtrack from it or repeal it. But we believe more should be done to bring out the responsibilities which accompany rights.

"We also believe that there could be merit in bringing together rights such as free health care, victims' rights and equality, which are currently scattered across the UK's legal and political landscape.

The wide-ranging and comprehensive debate launched today aims to provide the opportunity to consider the fundamental arguments for and against a Bill of Rights and Responsibilities, as well as the advantages of the individual components of such a Bill. The discussions could lead to a significant constitutional development with these responsibilities drawn together in one place for the first time.

The Paper lists some of the responsibilities we have, and asks if some should be explicitly stated in a single document, including:
* Obeying the law, reporting crimes and co-operating with prosecution agencies,
* Paying taxes,
* Participating in civic society through voting and jury service,
* Treating NHS and other public sector staff with respect,
* Safeguarding and promoting the wellbeing of children in our care,
* Living within our environmental limits.

(Ministry of Justice) Legal Services Board to drive improvements in access to the legal profession

Responding to the Government's Panel for Fair Access to the Professions, the Legal Services Board today makes clear its commitment to playing a leading role in the action to improve access to the legal profession for people of all backgrounds.

Commenting, David Edmonds, LSB Chairman said:

"The unique role played by the legal profession in our society makes it essential that it is open to anyone with the right abilities, irrespective of background. It must be seen to be so.

"The profession should select, promote and retain the best candidates, from the widest pool of talent to ensure that it reflects at all levels the diverse society it serves.

"The Legal Services Board has a specific statutory objective to encourage an independent, strong, diverse and effective legal profession. The Board is committed to playing its part in maintaining the impetus for real, long-term change. Promoting fair opportunities is therefore not an optional extra for us - it is central to our work."

Recently established as the independent body to oversee the regulation of lawyers in England and Wales, the LSB's goal is to reform and modernise the legal services market, putting the interests of consumers and citizens at the heart of the system.

Previewing its forthcoming Business Plan, the LSB's evidence states that in its first year of operation it will:

* review current work on professional diversity;

* broker constructive working relationships between the profession, its regulators and the providers of legal education; and

* ensure that diversity and social mobility issues are at the heart of the model of regulatory excellence which the Board will develop.

The Board also hopes to work with the Panel to frame a long-term strategy, giving particular attention to career progression of marginalised groups and the interaction between lawyers and educational providers. It cautions however, that these initiatives will only command credibility if there are clearly defined outcomes measures, a focus on delivery and rigorous evaluation.

(Ministry of Justice) £3.7m for victims of human trafficking

Victims of human trafficking will be helped to escape prostitution and domestic servitude following the award of a new £3.7 million Government grant to the POPPY Project, Justice Minister Maria Eagle announced today.

The POPPY Project has been providing places of refuge and vital support to hundreds of victims of human trafficking since 2003, backed by £5.8m Government support. This new investment will allow them to build on this work by:

* providing more victims across the UK with a safe haven;

* expanding the number of support workers available to assess the needs of individual victims and offer them specialised packages of support;

* ensuring increased access to counselling, health and psychological assistance for victims;

* expanding the community outreach team and locating workers within the UK Human Trafficking Centre to work in partnership with the police, UK Border agency and other partners to help identify victims in the community early and refer them into the appropriate support services;

* enabling more victims to access independent legal advice;

* creating a new national co-ordinator who will set minimum standards of support and help local areas deliver targeted support for victims.

Justice Minister Maria Eagle said:

"Human Trafficking thrives on the vulnerability of women. They are often subjected to multiple crimes including rape, physical violence, kidnapping and threats. This has no place in today's society.

"Very often the victims of these crimes are hidden from view and have no idea how to escape. Charities like the POPPY Project offer them the vital and specialist help they need.

"The funding we have announced today will offer victims of Human Trafficking across the UK much needed support."

Denise Marshall, Chief Executive of the POPPY Project, added:

"We are happy to be able to announce that the POPPY Project has been awarded the Government tender for work supporting trafficked women. As an agency long committed to providing high quality support services and promoting best practice nationally and internationally, we are gratified by this recognition of the work that we do.

"The funding will enable us to expand our services to include support for women trafficked into domestic servitude, and we are pleased that this form of exploitation has now been recognised as a gendered form of violence. We will also be working with new partners to expand our services on a national level.

"We look forward to working with the Home Office and UKBA regarding implementation of the European Convention and we will ensure that victims of trafficking are identified as such and receive the support they need and deserve."

This work is just one part of a wider strategy to make the UK a hostile environment for traffickers and identify and protect victims. The Government has published a comprehensive UK Action Plan to tackle trafficking head on, and last year the UK ratified the Council of Europe Convention on Trafficking in Human Beings.

The Government, Police, Serious Organised Crimes Agency and specialist organisations, like the POPPY Project, continue to work together to rescue and protect victims of trafficking for sexual exploitation as well as identify, disrupt, arrest and bring to justice those involved in criminal activity.