Chamber and committees

The Victim Liaison Office is a major strand of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service Action Plan on the Scottish Strategy for Victims. I have already given a commitment that there would be a Victim Liaison Office within each region of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service by summer 2002. Offices have been established in Aberdeen, Hamilton, Peterhead, Glasgow and Kilmarnock. Further offices will be opened in Edinburgh and Dundee by August 2002.The principal aims of the service are to provide information to eligible victims, witnesses and bereaved next of kin about the criminal justice process in general and the progress of the case that affects them and to facilitate referrals to other agencies for specialist support and counselling as required.The Victim Liaison Office provides its services to the following categories:

• Victims in serious cases where the nature of the charge is indicative of proceedings before a jury;

• Next of kin in deaths cases which are reported for consideration of criminal proceedings, and in deaths cases where a Fatal Accident Inquiry is to be held;

• Next of kin in cases where the Procurator Fiscal will invite the next of kin to discuss the circumstances of the death;

• Victims in cases of domestic abuse;

• Victims in racially aggravated cases and cases where it is known that the victim perceived the offence to be racially motivated;

• Cases involving children who have been cited as prosecution witnesses;

• Victims in cases involving sexual offences, and

Any other victim, witness or next of kin where the Victim Liaison Office considers that because of particular vulnerability the provision of services would be beneficial.