Victims, Witnesses, and Justice Reform (Scotland) Act 2025

18 Annual Report

(1) The Commissioner must, in respect of each financial year—

(a) prepare and publish a report on the Commissioner’s functions, and

(b) lay a copy of the report before the Scottish Parliament as soon as practicable after the end of that year.

(2) The Commissioner must give a copy of the draft report to—

(a) each criminal justice body, and

(b) any person providing victim support services who is named in the report,

not less than 5 days before publishing the report under subsection (1)(a).

(3) The report must include—

(a) a review of issues identified by the Commissioner in the financial year as being relevant to victims and witnesses,

(b) a review of the Commissioner’s activity in that year, including the steps taken to fulfil each of the Commissioner’s functions,

(c) any recommendations by the Commissioner arising out of that activity,

(d) a summary of any review and revision of the Victims’ Charter under subsection (1) of section 9 that has completed in the financial year,

(e) an overview of the activity the Commissioner intends to undertake in the financial year following the year to which the report relates.

(4) Recommendations under subsection (3)(c) may include recommendations in relation to—

(a) the provision of training to the members and employees of a criminal justice body,

(b) a person’s standards of service set and published under section 2 of the 2014 Act,

(c) the Victims’ Code for Scotland prepared and published under section 3B of that Act,

(d) trauma-informed practice,

(e) the provision of information to victims and witnesses,

(f) any other matter relating to the Commissioner’s functions.

(5) The Commissioner must—

(a) comply with any direction given to the Commissioner by the Parliamentary corporation in relation to the form and content of the report,

(b) ensure that a report does not include any information that would or might disclose the identity of an individual.

(6) The first report under this section is to relate to the period beginning on the day that this section comes into force and ending—

(a) if the financial year ends not less than 6 months after the day that this section comes into force, on the last day of that financial year, or

(b) otherwise, on the last day of the next financial year.