Overview

This bill, initially proposed in the House of Lords, aimed to improve information sharing with victims' families during the parole process for convicted offenders. However, the House of Commons rejected the bill due to concerns about duplication of existing processes.

Description

The proposed legislation mandated the Parole Board to create a database of victims' family members (parents, children, siblings for murder/manslaughter; victim or parents/guardians for indecent image offences). This database would be used to keep these individuals informed of parole application progress, including hearing dates, decisions, and their rights regarding judicial review. The bill included provisions for individuals to opt out of the database. A review of the database's effectiveness was also planned.

Government Spending

The bill's rejection by the Commons means there is no direct impact on UK government spending. The creation and maintenance of the proposed database would have incurred costs, but the exact figures were not specified in the provided text.

Groups Affected

• Victims' families: The bill would have directly affected families of murder, manslaughter, and indecent image offences victims by providing them with more information regarding parole proceedings. The rejection of the bill means existing information channels remain in place.
• Parole Board: The board would have been responsible for creating and maintaining the database and for contacting listed individuals. The rejection of the bill means they continue with existing procedures.
• Prisoners: The bill indirectly affects prisoners as their parole process would have involved increased communication with victims' families.

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