The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, Alex Chalk KC, now has an Independent Public Advocate responsible for supporting disaster victims. The creation of this permanent role is designed to increase the speed at which disaster victims are supported and provide greater independence and improved representation for survivors and bereaved families. The Independent Public Advocate will be expected to be deployed quickly in response to an emergency to advise victims on how to access financial, physical and mental health services, ensure they understand their legal rights and can access a range of support from different areas of expertise, sectors and geographical scales.
In addition, they will act as a two-way conduit between those affected and the government by advising the government on the need for reviews and inquiries post-incident, advocating for future learning and lesson identification with greater accountability. The creation of this role fulfils a previous manifesto commitment to create an Independent Public Advocate by former Prime Minister, the Rt Hon Theresa May MP.