Member

Our amendments would make a number of reasonable and practical changes to help fix that. They would extend the deadline from 28 to 56 days, giving the wider public the same time limit that the Government are giving themselves in this Bill; the Government are extending the length of appeal for themselves, but not for victims. We would also allow up to one year for the next of kin or a victim to apply in cases where they are affected or they have lost a loved one. It would also place a duty on the CPS to write to victims or their families after sentencing to tell them about the scheme and how it works. Far too often, families never hear about the scheme or hear about it after the deadline has passed.