Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-02-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what his policy is on moving responsibility for the courts, youth justice and probation to police and crime commissioners.

Mr Shailesh Vara

As set out in the 2015 manifesto, the government is committed to further developing the role of locally elected Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs). We have already brought forward legislation to enable PCCs to take responsibility for fire services in their area where a local case is made.

As the Home Secretary said recently, PCCs have brought real benefits to policing since their introduction in 2011. The Ministry of Justice and the Home Office are exploring whether their role as locally elected individuals could bring further benefits to the wider criminal justice system, local communities and, most importantly, the victims of crime.