Victim Support Schemes: British Nationals Abroad
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of the funding allocated to victim support services for the three years from 2026 to 2029 has been apportioned to homicide of British Citizens abroad.
Answered by Catherine Atkinson
The Government is committed to ensuring that families bereaved by homicide, including those bereaved by homicide abroad, receive the support they need to build resilience and cope with the impact of these devastating crimes. This is why we commission the National Homicide Service, delivered by Victim Support, to provide free tailored support to families in England and Wales with funding of circa £5.5 million per year.
The service is delivered by dedicated caseworkers and provides a comprehensive offer of emotional, practical and advocacy support. The service also offers a peer support service and caseworkers can arrange access to specialist support such as access to counselling and therapy.
Funding for the National Homicide Service is allocated to deliver support to all eligible service users and is not apportioned by the location of the homicide. For those families bereaved by homicide abroad, additional support is available to aid with repatriation, travel to the country where the victim died, translation of documents and legal advice depending on the families’ needs. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office provides a funding contribution to the Service to support these costs.
Costs of delivering support vary depending on a range of factors, including the number of family members supported, the duration and intensity of support required and the specific needs of each case. It is therefore not possible to provide a meaningful breakdown of funding for cases involving British Nationals killed by homicide abroad.
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