Commentary on Sections The Victim Charter and the Witness Charter Section 30: Witness Charter
This section places a duty on the Department to issue a Witness Charter setting out the services, standards of services and treatment of witnesses in criminal investigations and criminal proceedings by specified criminal justice agencies.  It enables exceptions and restrictions to be applied to the Charter’s general provisions that would allow a more targeted service to be provided. The section also makes provision enabling the services provided to a witness to be provided to others as well as, or instead of, the witness and requires criminal justice agencies to have regard to the Charter in carrying out their functions.