Victims’ Commissioner to testify in Justice Committee inquiries
1 March 2021
The House of Commons Justice Committee is to question the person charged with championing the rights of victims in the criminal justice system in its inquiries into court capacity and legal aid.
Purpose of the session
The Victims’ Commissioner, Dame Vera Baird QC, is likely to be questioned on victims’ and witnesses’ experiences of the system, including how they are affected by delays to court cases caused by the Covid-19 pandemic or other reasons. Representatives from the legal charities Transform Justice and JUSTICE will also give evidence in a first panel of witnesses in the virtual session which can be watched on parliamentlive.tv at 2.30pm on Tuesday 2 March 2021.
The first panel will also look at the changing role of technology in the court system and its impact on participation in the legal process.
A second witness panel will concentrate on the future of legal aid. It will explore the experience of not-for-profit providers of legal advice with witnesses from the housing charity Shelter and the Law Centres Network.
Witnesses
Panel 1
- Dame Vera Baird, Victims’ Commissioner for England and Wales
- Penelope Gibbs, Director, Transform Justice
- Jodie Blackstock, Legal Director, JUSTICE
Panel 2
- Nimrod Ben-Cnaan, Head of Policy and Profile, Law Centres Network
- Jo Underwood, Head of Strategic Litigation, Shelter
Further information
Image: MoJ