Legislation – The Victims and Prisoners Act 2024 (Commencement No. 8) Regulations 2025

These Regulations bring into force specified provisions of the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024 (c. 21) (“the 2024 Act”). These are the eighth commencement Regulations made under the 2024 Act.

Regulation 2 partially brings into force section 20 (child victims of domestic abuse) of the 2024 Act to insert section 49A (arrangements to notify schools etc) into the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 (c. 17). Section 49A requires all police forces to have arrangements in place to ensure that, where a member of a force has reasonable grounds to believe a child may be a victim of domestic abuse, educational establishments that the child attends are notified as soon as is reasonably practicable. The duty to notify is subject to exceptions that may be specified in regulations.

Regulation 3(a) brings into force section 28 (information relating to victims) of the 2024 Act which inserts sections 44A to 44E (requests for information relating to victims) into the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 (c. 32) (“the 2022 Act”). These sections impose duties on the police and other authorised persons when requesting victim information from a third party. The Secretary of State is also required to prepare a code of practice for the police and other authorised persons regarding such requests and compliance with sections 44A to 44E.

Regulation 3(b) brings into force section 29 (information relating to victims: service police etc) of the 2024 Act which inserts section 44F (application of this Chapter to service police etc) into the 2022 Act. This section imposes duties on the service police when requesting victim information from a third party.

Regulation 3(c) brings into force section 30 (review of provisions relating to counselling information requests) of the 2024 Act. This section requires the Secretary of State to prepare a report about the operation, in the review period, of Chapter 3A of the 2022 Act (requests for information relating to victims), in relation to counselling information requests.

A full impact assessment has not been produced for this statutory instrument as no, or no significant impact, on the private, voluntary or public sector is foreseen.