Member

The Government fully accept the intention behind the amendments—and I have heard at first hand powerful testimony on how important these changes will be for victims coming into contact with the ULS scheme—but, for legal and operational reasons, we cannot accept them today, as drafted. The drafting of Lords amendment 5 identifies circumstances that are not, in fact, exceptional for current law, and provides no longstop date. That would create uncertainty for victims, offenders and the courts, and would risk a large number of very late and unmeritorious requests to the Attorney General’s Office.