To ask the Minister of Justice for her assessment of the impact of the Sexual Offences Legal Adviser scheme since it was set up in April 2021.

Mrs Long

The sexual offences legal adviser scheme has had, and continues to have, an overwhelmingly positive impact for victims in serious sexual offence cases. The SOLA service, which is funded by my Department and delivered by solicitors who are employed by Victim Support NI, has provided free, independent legal advice to 2,000 victims since its launch in April 2021. Victims have told me directly how valuable access to such advice has been. A high-level evaluation, conducted after the first year of the pilot, found that stakeholders largely agreed that the pilot was meeting its objective to improve the experience of complainants who are going through the criminal justice system and was leading to enhanced confidence in the process. It found that the main benefits to SOLA service users were enhanced communication and understanding of the legal process; victims being kept up to date and involved with the process; a lowering of early attrition rates and disengagement; increased confidence and a voice in the process; and the provision of an avenue of support and reassurance. In 2022, my Department established a SOLA monitoring and evaluation group, which meets quarterly to analyse scheme uptake, user data and user feedback. That ongoing evaluation continues to support the earlier findings. Many victims who have used the service say that, without a SOLA, they would not have continued with their cases. Others have said that having the support of a SOLA gave them a voice in the justice system. Those positive evaluation reports, and hearing from victims about how important it is to have access to legal advice, helped inform my decision, in November 2024, to extend the pilot for a further two years until March 2027 and to launch a new children’s service in February 2025.

Mr Speaker

We move now to topical questions.