Labour MPs Told To Block Amendments Giving Victims Right To Free Court Transcripts
The government is ordering its MPs to vote against changes that would enable victims to access court transcripts for free. (Alamy)
3 min read
Labour MPs have been told to vote down House of Lords amendments to the Victims and Courts Bill which would allow people to have free access to transcripts of court proceedings in which they are the victims.
Three clauses were added to the legislation by the House of Lords, including "a clause that would enable victims to have access to free transcripts of court proceedings".
Costs for victims requesting transcripts of trials, including those who are victims of rape or sexual assault, can run into the tens of thousands, which critics say leaves many unable to pay the fees and therefore unable to access transcripts of trials in which they are the victim.
Last year, the government accepted an Independent Sentencing Review (ISR) recommendation to make permanent a pilot allowing victims of rape and sexual offences to apply for a transcript of the sentencing remarks free of charge, when the defendant has been found guilty.
PoliticsHome understands that while the government remains fully committed to implementing the ISR recommendation, it considers amendments tabled by peers to go far beyond that commitment.
In the letter to Labour MPs ahead of votes on Wednesday, seen by PoliticsHome, minister Alex Davies-Jones cites government concerns around preparedness and the affordability of what the amendment seeks to introduce, as well as warnings that it could affect reporting restrictions on trials.
In the end, MPs voted against the Lords' push by 291 to 158. While the government comfortably won the vote, 112 Labour MPs did not cast a vote on the amendment.
Speaking in the House of Commons before the vote, Davies-Jones said she understood "the strength of feeling" on the issue among MPs, and said the government wanted a "workable, sustainable and effective way" so "no victim is let down".
"What we need to do, is do it in a workable, sustainable, and effective way so that no victim is let down by a process that is not ready or capable of meeting the challenge that this presents us as a government," the Labour minister said.
She added that the government was "willing to go further" and "will be looking to see what more we can do in the Lords" — in a sign that ministers were aware of unhappiness among Labour MPs.
PoliticsHome understands that the instruction to oppose the amendments caused upset among some Labour MPs when issued, with some having meetings with the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) to discuss the government's position.
An MoJ spokesperson told PoliticsHome: “No victim should ever be in the dark about decisions reached in their case.
"That’s why the government is working hard to improve victims' access to information, and we remain committed to providing all victims with free Crown Court sentencing remarks on request by Spring 2027.
“We will carefully consider the implications of these amendments and set out next steps in due course."
The push to make transcripts free was the subject of a Westminster Hall debate on Monday, after a petition seeking to "make all court and tribunal transcripts available free of charge" reached over 200,000 signatures.
Last year, now Victim's Commissioner for England and Wales, Claire Waxman, told the BBC that victims being unable to access transcripts acted as a "real block to recovery", and that victims had told her transcripts "should come as a part of them being able to see justice being done".
"It's really difficult for them to understand why there was an acquittal, especially if they haven't come back into the court process, which many of them won't have done," said Waxman.
