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1137965

	registered interest
	date	09/07/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Sexual Offences
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to (1) introduce tougher sentences for sex offenders, and (2) stop sex offenders being granted parole.
	tabling member printed	Lord Taylor of Warwick
	uin	HL17064
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/07/2019 answer text <p>The Sexual Offences Act 2003 provides for a range of sexual offences which rightly carry robust penalties to deal with this serious offending – including some which carry a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. Since 2010, the average length of a custodial sentence for sex offenders has increased by more than 25 per cent. Sentencing in individual cases is a matter for the independent judiciary, who take into account the full facts of each case. The courts are required to follow any guidelines produced by the independent Sentencing Council relevant to the case before them, including the definitive guideline on Sexual Offences.</p><p>For those who receive a life sentence, they must serve the minimum term in prison required by the sentencing court, following which they will only be released by the independent Parole Board if the Board is satisfied they no longer need to be detained for the protection of the public. Other sex offenders may receive an Extended Determinate Sentence (EDS) if the court considers they could pose an ongoing risk. In those cases, the offender must serve at least two-thirds of the custodial term in prison and will only be released before the end of the full custodial term if the Parole Board is satisfied it would be safe to do so</p><p><br>The Government has no current plans to abolish the possibility of parole for offenders serving these types of sentences. Offenders should rightly be punished for their offences, but once they have served their punishment they should only continue to be held in prison if their risk remains too high for them to be released.</p> answering member printed Lord Keen of Elie question first answered 31/07/2019 12:00:14 answering member 4538 label Biography information for Lord Keen of Elie
	tabling member	1796 label Biography information for Lord Taylor of Warwick

1175810

	registered interest
	date	22/01/2020
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Sexual Offences
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	Her Majesty's Government whether they have commissioned any report considering the characteristics of people who commit group based sexual offences; whether they will publish any such report; and if so, when.
	tabling member printed	Lord Campbell-Savours
	uin	HL678
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/02/2020 answer text <p>Officials have been pursuing work on several fronts to improve our understanding of the characteristics of group-based child sexual exploitation, as well as the implications for the investigation and prevention of these crimes.</p><p> </p><p>This internal work is being carried out as part of routine policy development. As such, it has not been undertaken with the intention of publication.</p><p>Much of the insight gained through our work with law enforcement partners contains operationally and personally sensitive information and will need to remain confidential.</p><p> </p><p>In early 2020 the Government will publish a national strategy, the first of its kind, to tackle all forms of child sexual abuse.</p><p> </p><p>Our new strategy will set out our whole system response to tackling child sexual abuse, including group-based sexual offending, drawing on this internal work. It will set out how we will work across government, law enforcement, safeguarding partners and industry to root out offending, protect victims and help victims and survivors rebuild their lives. We will work tirelessly to tackle all forms of sexual abuse; there will be no no-go areas.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 04/02/2020 16:34:51 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
	tabling member	499 label Biography information for Lord Campbell-Savours

1278959

	registered interest
	date	20/01/2021
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Sexual Offences
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the change in rates of sexual abuse by women reported to police, and (2) the impact of reports of sexual abuse committed by transgender women in contributing to any such change; and what plans they have, if any, to undertake further research into these issues.
	tabling member printed	Lord Lucas
	uin	HL12365
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/02/2021 answer text <p>Information on trends in sexual offences recorded by the police is routinely published by the Office for National Statistics. The most recent publication, Crime in England and Wales: Year ending June 2020, is available here:</p><p>https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/bulletins/crimeinenglandandwales/yearendingjune2020</p><p>Figures for the year ending December 2020 are due to be published on the 3 February. Information on sexual abuse committed by transgender women is not held centrally.</p><p>We know that sexual abuse disproportionately affects women and girls. We are currently running a Call for Evidence which is available on GOV.uk (https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/violence-against-women-and-girls-vawg-call-for-evidence ) and will help inform our forthcoming Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy, due for publication this Spring.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 03/02/2021 17:30:31 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
	tabling member	1879 label Biography information for Lord Lucas

1284670

	registered interest
	date	08/02/2021
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Sexual Offences
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 3 February (HL12365), whether they will now answer the question put, namely, what assessment they have made of the change in rates of sexual abuse by women reported to police; and what assessment they have made of the impact of police recording suspects' self-identified gender on the number of cases of sexual abuse being recorded as committed by women.
	tabling member printed	Lord Lucas
	uin	HL13112
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/02/2021 answer text <p>As set out in my response, information on sexual abuse committed by transgender women is not held centrally. Information on trends in sexual offences recorded by the police is routinely published by the Office for National Statistics. The most recent publication, is available here; https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/bulletins/crimeinenglandandwales/yearendingseptember2020.</p><p>The Office for National Statistics had made it clear that sexual offences recorded by the police do not provide a reliable measure of trends in these types of crime. Sexual offences, including examples of sexual abuse, are underreported and therefore cannot be used to accurately assess changes in perpetrator demographics.</p><p>The Government takes all forms of sexual abuse extremely seriously, regardless of between who it takes place or the profile of the perpetrator. Whether it is committed by a woman or a man, sexual abuse in any situation, is unacceptable.</p><p>We are taking action to improve outcomes for rape cases through our end-to-end review of the criminal justice response to rape, which commenced in Spring 2019. The review covers from the point of police report through to final outcome in court.</p><p>We are committed to ensuring victims receive the support they deserve - the Ministry of Justice has awarded £12 million to 91 rape support centres across England and Wales in 2020/21 to provide independent, specialist support to female and male victims of sexual violence. This represents a total investment of £32m over the last three years.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 22/02/2021 17:23:02 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
	tabling member	1879 label Biography information for Lord Lucas

1419994

	registered interest
	date	04/02/2022
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Sexual Offences
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of (1) rapes, and (2) serious sexual assaults, for which charges are unable to be brought due to the one year time limit from the commission of the offence in the Sexual Offences Act 1956.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Kennedy of Cradley
	uin	HL5989
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/02/2022 answer text <p>Where conduct amounting to rape or another serious sexual offence is alleged to have taken place before 1 May 2004, when the Sexual Offences Act 1956 was repealed by the Sexual Offences Act 2003, a prosecution could be brought (providing the evidential test is met) under the appropriate provision of the 1956 Act, as that Act made no provision for a time limit for prosecuting those offences. The Act imposed a time limit (of one year) only in respect of the offence in section 6 of unlawful sexual intercourse with a girl aged between 13 and 15. As that offence could apply only to conduct that took place before 1 May 2004, proceedings under it would now be time-barred.</p> answering member printed Lord Wolfson of Tredegar question first answered 17/02/2022 11:56:50 answering member 4901 label Biography information for Lord Wolfson of Tredegar
	tabling member	4303 label Biography information for Baroness Kennedy of Cradley

1143184

	registered interest
	date	02/09/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Sexual Offences
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what progress has been made on the Government's review of the handling of rape and sexual violence cases across the criminal justice system; what resources have been allocated to that review; and what steps her Department has taken to improve access to counselling and therapeutic support for people who have reported rape to the police in the last 12 months.
	tabling member constituency	Tooting
	tabling member printed	Dr Rosena Allin-Khan
	uin	284636
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2019 answer text <p>a) The decline in the number of rape and serious sexual offences reaching court and being charged and prosecuted has, rightly, been the subject of public scrutiny and concern. It is essential that we grasp this issue, which is why the Criminal Justice Board (CJB) has committed to a cross-government end-to-end review of the Criminal Justice System’s (CJS) response to serious sexual violence and rape where the victim is over 18. We have established a Sub-Group of the CJB to oversee this review.</p><p> </p><p>The review is now well underway. The Cabinet Office have concluded initial analysis to identify key areas that merit further investigation. We are now gathering evidence and data from key groups and agencies across the CJS to enable us to better understand how handling and outcomes for rape cases could be improved. We continue to engage regularly with specialist stakeholders and victim organisations to ensure that the victim experience is central to our work.</p><p> </p><p>We have committed to publish a cross-system action plan at the conclusion of the review in Spring 2020. In efforts to accelerate the review, we will develop a set of interim recommendations before the end of the year.</p><p> </p><p>b) The review is being conducted by a cross-Government team comprised of officials from the Home Office, Ministry of Justice, Attorney General’s Office and Crown Prosecution Service, with support from the National Policing Lead for Adult Sexual Offences.</p><p> </p><p>c) Rape is a horrendous crime. It is essential that victims of rape have access to support when and where they need it most. In March this year we increased funding available to these essential services by 10% - up to £8m per year and totalling £24m over the next three years. This funding ensures that, for the first time, that there are government-funded services in all 42 of the country’s Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) areas. This is in addition to the £68m we allocate to PCCs to locally deliver support services for victims of crime, including for victims of sexual violence.</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar question first answered 09/09/2019 13:08:42 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
	tabling member	4573 label Biography information for Dr Rosena Allin-Khan

1174847

	registered interest
	date	30/01/2020
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Sexual Offences
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that judges are adequately trained on how to deal effectively with cases involving sexual assault and rape.
	tabling member constituency	Luton North
	tabling member printed	Sarah Owen
	uin	10472
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/02/2020 answer text <p>Judicial training is the responsibility of the Lord Chief Justice under the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 section 7 2(b) and is exercised by the Judicial College. Since 2002, all judges who hear criminal cases involving serious sexual offences are required to attend specialist training provided by the Judicial College. Listing, which is a judicial function, ensures that cases are allocated to those who are authorised and trained. The Judicial College is also exploring with the senior judiciary what additional training should be made available to judges who may have to hear cases involving allegations of rape and serious sexual assault within family proceedings.</p> answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp question first answered 06/02/2020 16:24:06 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp
	tabling member	4777 label Biography information for Sarah Owen

1184872

	registered interest
	date	13/03/2020
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Sexual Offences
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of publishing guidance on police forces designating people who report allegations of sexual abuse as complainants rather than victims.
	tabling member constituency	Hendon
	tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
	uin	29210
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/03/2020 answer text <p>On 13 March 2020 HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire &amp; Rescue</p><p>Services published its report, commissioned by the Home Secretary, assessing the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS)’s</p><p>progress in learning from Operation Midland. The report is available at <a href="https://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmicfrs/news/news-feed/met-police-slow-to-learn-lessons-after-operation-midland/" target="_blank">https://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmicfrs/news/news-feed/met-police-slow-to-learn-lessons-after-operation-midland/</a>.</p><p>A number of referrals have been made to the Independent Office for Police Conduct in relation to Operation Midland. The IOPC has not found a case to answer for any officer but has issued a number of learning recommendations – these can be found at <a href="https://www.policeconduct.gov.uk/recommendations/national-recommendations-and-recommendations-made-metropolitan-police-service" target="_blank">https://www.policeconduct.gov.uk/recommendations/national-recommendations-and-recommendations-made-metropolitan-police-service</a>.</p><p>“Victim” is a commonly accepted term across a wide range of guidance, including the statutory Code of Practice for Victims of Crime (Victims’ Code’) which sets out the services that victims should receive from the criminal justice system following the crime. The Government does not believe that people who report being the victim of sexual abuse should have their allegations treated differently from those who report other offences.</p> answering member constituency North West Hampshire answering member printed Kit Malthouse grouped question UIN 29208 29209 question first answered 23/03/2020 17:07:04 answering member 4495 label Biography information for Kit Malthouse
	tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1202868

	registered interest
	date	11/06/2020
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Sexual Offences
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of imposing restrictions on the online activity of convicted sex offenders.
	tabling member constituency	Staffordshire Moorlands
	tabling member printed	Karen Bradley
	uin	58699
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/06/2020 answer text <p>The UK has some of the toughest powers in the world to deal with sex offenders and we are committed to ensuring that the system is as robust as it can be. The Government believes that the current legislation provides a sufficiently robust framework to allow the police to monitor sex offenders and minimise the likelihood of reoffending. We keep this legislation under constant review to ensure that law enforcement continues to have the tools it needs to tackle the evolving threat of online exploitation.</p><p>Under current legislation, sex offenders can have a range of restrictions placed on them depending on what the court deems necessary to protect the public. This can include; a condition that the individual cannot use any computer unless specialist computer monitoring software is installed on it; prohibiting the offender from using any device capable of accessing the internet unless it has the capacity to retain and display the history of internet use; the offender makes the device available on request for inspection by a police officer; and prohibiting the offender from deleting their internet history.</p> answering member constituency Louth and Horncastle answering member printed Victoria Atkins question first answered 24/06/2020 09:40:36 answering member 4399 label Biography information for Victoria Atkins
	tabling member	4110 label Biography information for Dame Karen Bradley

1235590

	registered interest
	date	17/09/2020
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Sexual Offences
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps is he taking to help ensure that women who have experienced sexual assault feel able to report it.
	tabling member constituency	Huddersfield
	tabling member printed	Mr Barry Sheerman
	uin	91570
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/09/2020 answer text <p>The Government recognises that sexual violence is a devastating crime and is committed to ensuring that every victim has access to the specialist support they need. We want victims to have the confidence to report these crimes, knowing they will get the support they need and that everything will be done to bring offenders to justice. We expect every report of sexual assault to be treated seriously from the point of disclosure, every victim to be treated with dignity and every investigation and every prosecution to be conducted thoroughly and professionally.</p><p> </p><p>To that end, a review of the criminal justice response to rape and serious sexual offences was commissioned in March 2019 by the National Criminal Justice Board (CJB), and it continues to gather and analyse detailed views from key groups and agencies across the Criminal Justice System to enable us to better understand how the system’s response to sexual assault cases can be improved. The Government intends to publish its initial findings in the autumn.</p><p> </p><p>To provide support to victims, the Ministry of Justice also directly commissions rape support centres across England and Wales and has committed to investing to recruit more Independent Sexual Violence Advisers - who play a critical role in ensuring that victims feel informed, supported and engaged throughout every stage of the criminal justice process. In addition, during the Covid-19 outbreak the Government ringfenced £10 million of funding for sexual violence support services to ensure they could continue to provide vital services.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has also committed to delivering a new communications campaign to raise awareness around sexual violence and inform victims of their rights to support, and this campaign will be launched later this year.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk question first answered 25/09/2020 13:39:25 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
	tabling member	411 label Biography information for Mr Barry Sheerman