Section 2 restates, with amendments, the provisions of section 32 of the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004 (the 2004 Act) that relate to the requirement to issue a Code of Practice (subsection (1)) in respect of the services to be provided to victims by persons who have functions of a public nature relating to victims or the criminal justice system as a whole.
	Subsection (3) inserts a new subsection into the re-stated provisions of the 2004 Act stating the key principles that must be reflected in the services provided under the Victims’ Code.
	These principles are that victims of criminal conduct require:
information to help them understand the criminal justice process;
access to services which support them (including, where appropriate, specialist services);
the opportunity to make their views heard in the criminal justice process; and
the ability to challenge decisions which have a direct impact on them.
	Subsection (4) give the Secretary of State a power to make regulations making further provision about the Victims’ Code, including matters that the Code must include, subject to the restriction in subsection (5).
	Subsections (6)-(9), as substantively restated from the 2004 Act allow the Code, amongst other things to:
differentiate between different types of victims, for example so that particularly vulnerable victims might receive a faster service, or a service tailored to their needs, specifying that particular regard must be paid to the needs of victims under the age of 18 and those with protected characteristics when considering whether to make different provision for victims of different descriptions;
benefit persons other than the victim, such as those who might represent the victim like parents of victims who are children; and
allow for regional variations in the way that services are provided to victims so that the Code can reflect local practices.
	Subsection (11) provides that the Code may not require anything to be done by a person acting in a judicial capacity (or someone acting on their behalf in that capacity) or by a person acting in the discharge of a prosecutorial function if that function involves exercising a discretion.
	Subsection (13) is a transitional provision designed to ensure the continuity of the Victims’ Code.
Part 1: Victims of Criminal Conduct Victims’ Code Section 2: The Victims’ Code