evidence: Justice departments in the Scottish Government and the Northern Ireland Executive both have an action plan or strategy in place, leaving England and Wales behind the rest of the UK. The government has publicly committed to a Council of Europe declaration on RJ in criminal justice that encourages member states (which includes the UK) to develop action plans. [...] Sir Robert Neill MP, Chair of the Justice Select Committee, said: ‘The priority must be to ensure that victims of crime are properly informed. The Ministry of Justice should focus its resources on ensuring restorative justice is well understood by bodies within the criminal justice system who can then convey this information to victims. A rigorous system should be introduced to improve compliance with the police’s requirement to inform victims."