To ask the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice what the grant allocation was for the support of victims and witnesses in each year since 2002; what proportion of that grant allocation went to Victim Support in each year; and whether she plans to make a similar proportional allocation in the future. (144098)

The Government funds a wide range of projects and organisations to support victims of crime, such as Sexual Assault Referral Centres and Independent Sexual Violence Advisors for victims of sexual violence, the POPPY scheme for victims of trafficking, and Support After Murder and Manslaughter for homicide victims.

The Government’s main mechanism for delivering emotional and practical support services to victims is through the £30 million grant to Victim Support. In addition, since 2004, the Victims Fund has distributed £5.25 million in grants to support and develop specialist organisations. A further round of the Victims’ Fund was opened on Friday 15 June, dedicated to organisations that support homicide and hate crime victims.

It is expected that the surcharge on fines will raise £16 million in a full year to be spent on a range of services for victims of crime and witnesses.

The main national grant allocations since 2002 and the proportion, as a percentage, which goes to Victim Support are as follows. Future funding decisions will be made in the light of available resources.