Victims and Prisoners Act 2024

19 Domestic abuse related death reviews

(1) The Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004 is amended in accordance with subsections (2) to (4).

(2) After section 8 insert—

“Domestic abuse related death reviews

8A Establishment and conduct of reviews

(1) In this section “domestic abuse related death review” means a review of the circumstances of the death of a person which is held—

(a) where the death has, or appears to have, resulted from domestic abuse towards the person within the meaning of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, and

(b) with a view to identifying the lessons to be learned from the death.

(2) The Secretary of State may in a particular case direct a specified person or body within subsection (6) to establish, or to participate in, a domestic abuse related death review.

(3) It is the duty of any person or body within subsection (6) establishing or participating in a domestic abuse related death review (whether or not held pursuant to a direction under subsection (2)) to have regard to any guidance issued by the Secretary of State as to the establishment and conduct of such reviews.

(4) A person or body within subsection (6) that establishes a domestic abuse related death review (whether or not held pursuant to a direction under subsection (2)) must send a copy of any report setting out the conclusions of the review to the Secretary of State and the Domestic Abuse Commissioner.

(5) The copy must be sent as soon as reasonably practicable after the report is completed.

(6) The persons and bodies within this subsection are—

• chief officers of police for police areas in England and Wales;

• local authorities;

• NHS England;

• integrated care boards established under section 14Z25 of the National Health Service Act 2006;

• providers of probation services;

• Local Health Boards established under section 11 of the National Health Service (Wales) Act 2006;

• NHS trusts established under section 25 of the National Health Service Act 2006 or section 18 of the National Health Service (Wales) Act 2006.

(7) In subsection (6) “local authority” means—

(a) in relation to England, the council of a district, county or London borough, the Common Council of the City of London and the Council of the Isles of Scilly;

(b) in relation to Wales, the council of a county or county borough.

(8) The Secretary of State may by order amend subsection (6) or (7).”

(3) In section 9 (establishment and conduct of domestic homicide reviews)—

(a) in each of subsections (2) and (3)—

(i) for “Secretary of State” substitute “Department of Justice in Northern Ireland”;

(ii) for “(4)” substitute “(4)(b)”;

(b) omit subsections (3A), (3B), (3C), (4)(a), (5) and (6).

(4) In section 61 (orders), in subsection (3), for “9(6)” substitute “8A(8)”.

(5) In section 26 of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 (relationship of offensive weapons homicide reviews with other review requirements), in subsection (1)(b)—

(a) after “of a” insert “domestic abuse related death review or”;

(b) for “section” substitute “sections 8A and”.