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1136194

	registered interest
	date	02/07/2019
	answering body	Attorney General
	answering dept id	88
	answering dept short name	Attorney General
	answering dept sort name	Attorney General
	hansard heading	Sexual Offences: Prosecutions
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Attorney General, how he will ensure that the Criminal Justice Board review of how rape and sexual violence cases are handled across the criminal justice system provides independent scrutiny of CPS case handling.
	tabling member constituency	Stockport
	tabling member printed	Ann Coffey
	uin	272118
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/07/2019 answer text <p>Rape and serious sexual offences are horrific crimes, which can have a significant and profound impact on victims.</p><p>I recognise that there is real current concern around the criminal justice response to rape and serious sexual offences. The Government’s Review provides an opportunity to identify areas, from the beginning to the end of the criminal justice process, where the police, CPS and HM Courts and Tribunals Service can improve practice and outcomes in cases involving these offences. The CPS will work with partners across the criminal justice system to address any issues that are highlighted as a result of the Review.</p><p>All those involved in the Review, including the AGO and the CPS, are committed to ensuring that the Review is conducted with the requisite degree of openness and independence as to enable the public to have full confidence in its final findings.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 09/07/2019 14:52:47 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
	tabling member	458 label Biography information for Ann Coffey

1133385

	registered interest
	date	19/06/2019
	answering body	Attorney General
	answering dept id	88
	answering dept short name	Attorney General
	answering dept sort name	Attorney General
	hansard heading	Sexual Offences: Prosecutions
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Attorney General, how many Rape and Serious Sexual Offences prosecutors have been available to make Crown Prosecution Service charging decisions in each year since 2015.
	tabling member constituency	Sheffield, Heeley
	tabling member printed	Louise Haigh
	uin	266849
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/06/2019 answer text <p>Rape and serious sexual assault offence (RASSO) cases are among the most sensitive and complex cases prosecuted by the CPS, and they have a profound impact on victims. To address this, CPS has undertaken extensive work over the last decade to ensure that specialist prosecutors are fully equipped to deal with the particular complexities of rape cases.</p><p> </p><p>The vast majority of RASSO cases are handled by specialist prosecutors working in either dedicated Area RASSO units or the dedicated CPS charging service CPS Direct. The first dedicated Area RASSO Units were established in 2014. The number of RASSO unit prosecutors and CPS Direct Prosecutors is displayed at Annex A.</p><p> </p><p>A small number of rape and serious sexual offence cases are dealt with by RASSO trained specialist prosecutors in the Central Casework Divisions (CCDs). It is not possible to provide year on year numbers of RASSO trained specialist prosecutors in the CCDs.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 24/06/2019 16:50:29 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer attachment 1 file name 266849 - Annex A.docx title Annex A
	tabling member	4473 label Biography information for Louise Haigh

1133386

	registered interest
	date	19/06/2019
	answering body	Attorney General
	answering dept id	88
	answering dept short name	Attorney General
	answering dept sort name	Attorney General
	hansard heading	Sexual Offences: Prosecutions
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Attorney General, how many and what proportion of rape and serious sexual offence cases did not result in CPS charging advice (a) within 28 days, (b) within 2 months, (c) within 3 months, (d) within 4 months, (e) within 5 months, (f) in over 6 months and (g) in over 12 months of being referred to the CPS by the police in each of the last five years.
	tabling member constituency	Sheffield, Heeley
	tabling member printed	Louise Haigh
	uin	266850
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/06/2019 answer text <p>Rape and serious sexual offences are devastating crimes that have a profound impact on victims. Cases involving rape and serious sexual offences are some of the most challenging and complex cases that the CPS deals with. They involve very little corroborative evidence in comparison with other cases which can result in them taking longer to progress through the system. Where evidence submitted by the Police is sufficient to bring charges, the CPS will not hesitate to prosecute. The CPS works closely with the Police to ensure that cases are thoroughly investigated before charges are brought because it is in the interests of both victims and perpetrators that cases do not collapse mid-trial.</p><p> </p><p>The CPS does not maintain a record of the number of days between referral and a non-charging outcome. However, the CPS does maintain a record of the average number of days taken from referral through to a decision to charge, and this data can be found in answer 266848.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 24/06/2019 16:52:12 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
	tabling member	4473 label Biography information for Louise Haigh

1658260

	registered interest
	date	05/09/2023
	answering body	Attorney General
	answering dept id	88
	answering dept short name	Attorney General
	answering dept sort name	Attorney General
	hansard heading	Sexual Offences: Prosecutions
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Attorney General, how many times defendants were informed that they had been charged with (a) rape or (b) sexual assault and given a date and time to appear in court by a Postal Requisition letter from the Crown Prosecution Service in financial years (i) 2021-22 and (ii) 2022-23.
	tabling member constituency	Islington South and Finsbury
	tabling member printed	Emily Thornberry
	uin	197749
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/09/2023 answer text <p>The Police issue all postal requisition letters following Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) advice to charge, and have sole responsibility for decisions on, and issue of, postal requisition letters. The CPS does not hold the relevant data.</p> answering member constituency Mid Dorset and North Poole answering member printed Michael Tomlinson question first answered 12/09/2023 13:08:31 answering member 4497 label Biography information for Michael Tomlinson
	tabling member	1536 label Biography information for Emily Thornberry

1177459

	registered interest
	date	10/02/2020
	answering body	Attorney General
	answering dept id	88
	answering dept short name	Attorney General
	answering dept sort name	Attorney General
	hansard heading	Sexual Offences: Prosecutions
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Attorney General, what recent discussions he has had with the Director of Public Prosecutions on ensuring more effective prosecutions of cases involving rape and other sexual offences.
	tabling member constituency	Coventry North West
	tabling member printed	Taiwo Owatemi
	uin	14803
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/02/2020 answer text <p>I regularly engage with the Director of Public Prosecutions on all criminal justice issues, including rape. Rape and sexual offences are devastating crimes that can have a significant and profound impact on victims. All cases are dealt with by specially trained CPS Rape and Serious Sexual Offences lawyers, and the CPS is committed to bringing perpetrators of these horrific crimes to justice.</p><p> </p><p>The CPS has accepted all recommendations made in the HMCPSI <em>Rape Report, </em>published in December 2019, and a joint action plan with the police is already underway. This work aims to improve performance in key areas including case progression, digital capability and disclosure, and supporting victims.</p><p> </p><p>The ongoing cross-Government review into this complex area will offer comprehensive findings across the whole criminal justice system, and I look forward to its completion</p> answering member constituency Northampton North answering member printed Michael Ellis question first answered 17/02/2020 13:23:09 answering member 4116 label Biography information for Sir Michael Ellis
	tabling member	4779 label Biography information for Taiwo Owatemi

1170429

	registered interest
	date	13/01/2020
	answering body	Attorney General
	answering dept id	88
	answering dept short name	Attorney General
	answering dept sort name	Attorney General
	hansard heading	Sexual Offences: Prosecutions
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Attorney General, what steps he is taking to increase the number of reported rape and sexual offences that are brought to trial.
	tabling member constituency	Torfaen
	tabling member printed	Nick Thomas-Symonds
	uin	2668
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/01/2020 answer text <p>The reduction in suspects charged in rape and serious sexual offence cases is a cause of concern. Both Government and the CPS are committed to exploring what improvements can be made to the handling of these horrific cases and making progress in this area.</p><p> </p><p>The CPS welcomes and has accepted all recommendations made in HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate’s ‘Rape Inspection’ report, published in December 2019, and a joint action plan with the police is already underway to make improvements. The ongoing cross-Government review into this complex area will also offer comprehensive findings across the whole criminal justice system, and I look forward to its completion. The CPS will address any issues highlighted by the review openly and honestly.</p> answering member constituency Northampton North answering member printed Michael Ellis question first answered 16/01/2020 15:49:23 answering member 4116 label Biography information for Sir Michael Ellis
	tabling member	4479 label Biography information for Nick Thomas-Symonds

1145066

	registered interest
	date	05/09/2019
	answering body	Attorney General
	answering dept id	88
	answering dept short name	Attorney General
	answering dept sort name	Attorney General
	hansard heading	Sexual Offences: Prosecutions
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Attorney General, what steps he is taking to increase the number of reported rape and sexual offences that are brought to trial.
	tabling member constituency	Harlow
	tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
	uin	287545
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2019 answer text <p><em>It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.</em></p> answering member constituency Torridge and West Devon answering member printed Mr Geoffrey Cox question first answered 09/09/2019 16:42:49 answering member 1508 label Biography information for Sir Geoffrey Cox
	tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1145080

	registered interest
	date	05/09/2019
	answering body	Attorney General
	answering dept id	88
	answering dept short name	Attorney General
	answering dept sort name	Attorney General
	hansard heading	Sexual Offences: Prosecutions
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Attorney General, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that more reports of rape, attempted rape and sexual offences end in prosecution.
	tabling member constituency	Harlow
	tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
	uin	287549
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2019 answer text <p><em>It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.</em></p> answering member constituency Torridge and West Devon answering member printed Mr Geoffrey Cox question first answered 09/09/2019 16:43:06 answering member 1508 label Biography information for Sir Geoffrey Cox
	tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1249953

	registered interest
	date	05/11/2020
	answering body	Attorney General
	answering dept id	88
	answering dept short name	Attorney General
	answering dept sort name	Attorney General
	hansard heading	Sexual Offences: Prosecutions
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Attorney General, what steps she is taking improve the CPS handling of sexual assault cases.
	tabling member constituency	Nottingham East
	tabling member printed	Nadia Whittome
	uin	112144
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/11/2020 answer text <p>We, and the CPS, are working tirelessly with criminal justice partners to improve the handling of these sensitive cases. Over the last four quarters, we have seen the charging rates in rape cases continue to increase. This year, the CPS has also published its own five-year rape strategy, updated rape legal guidance and training, and continued work to drive forward a joint action plan with the police to improve the handling of these sensitive cases.</p><p>The AGO and the CPS are closely and actively engaged in the cross-Government end-to-end rape review, which will be published later this year. The CPS will address any issues identified in this review openly and honestly.</p> answering member constituency Northampton North answering member printed Michael Ellis question first answered 11/11/2020 12:17:31 answering member 4116 label Biography information for Sir Michael Ellis
	tabling member	4869 label Biography information for Nadia Whittome

1466112

	registered interest
	date	26/05/2022
	answering body	Attorney General
	answering dept id	88
	answering dept short name	Attorney General
	answering dept sort name	Attorney General
	hansard heading	Sexual Offences: Prosecutions
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Attorney General, what steps she is taking to increase prosecution rates for (a) sexual assault and (b) rape offences.
	tabling member constituency	Harlow
	tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
	uin	900270
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/05/2022 answer text <p>This Government is determined to increase the number of rape and sexual assault cases going to court.</p><p> </p><p>The CPS is undertaking extensive work to drive up and improve prosecutions through its Joint National RASSO Action Plan with the police, the Rape Strategy, and the Operation Soteria Path Finders, which are testing methods for best practice in six CPS Areas.</p><p> </p><p>Since publication of its strategy, the CPS has continued to see increases in the number of rape charges, prosecutions and convictions.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk question first answered 26/05/2022 15:53:54 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
	tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1283782

	registered interest
	date	04/02/2021
	answering body	Attorney General
	answering dept id	88
	answering dept short name	Attorney General
	answering dept sort name	Attorney General
	hansard heading	Sexual Offences: Prosecutions
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	What steps she has taken to increase the number of prosecutions relating to rape and sexual assault.
	tabling member constituency	Bristol East
	tabling member printed	Kerry McCarthy
	uin	911874
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/02/2021 answer text <p>I am committed to ensuring rape and sexual assault cases are conducted effectively – in fact, I recently successfully referred a point of law to the Court of Appeal to ensure that the law is clear in cases of sexual assault.</p><p>I have also engaged closely on CPS rape work, including meeting with CPS South East in December 2020 to discuss how their RASSO unit approaches these complex cases. The CPS and police also published their Joint National Action Plan on rape in January 2021 which shows their commitment to improvement.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Fareham answering member printed Suella Braverman question first answered 04/02/2021 11:32:17 answering member 4475 label Biography information for Suella Braverman
	tabling member	1491 label Biography information for Kerry McCarthy

1612462

	registered interest
	date	19/04/2023
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Sexual Offences: Prosecutions
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of prosecutions of registered sex offenders who fail to inform the police of their name change in a timely manner.
	tabling member constituency	Rochdale
	tabling member printed	Tony Lloyd
	uin	181752
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/04/2023 answer text <p>The UK has some of the toughest powers in the world to deal with sex offenders and those who pose a risk, and we are committed to ensuring that the system is as robust as it can be.</p><p>Data on the number of convictions for breaches of the notification requirements for registered sex offenders is published by the Ministry of Justice in the Multi-Agency Public Protection arrangements (MAPPA) annual report, which is available here: <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1113769/MAPPA_Annual_Report_2022.pdf" target="_blank">MAPPA_Annual_Report_2022.pdf (publishing.service.gov.uk)</a>. The most recent report showed that the number of offenders cautioned or convicted for breaches of their notification requirements in 2021-2 was 1,905.</p><p>Data on the number of prosecutions of registered sex offenders who fail to inform the police of their name change the number who have had restrictions placed on them relating to name change are not collated centrally. The courts can, however, place a range of restrictions or requirements on offenders through sexual harm prevention orders and sexual risk orders to mitigate the risk of sexual harm.</p> answering member constituency Derbyshire Dales answering member printed Miss Sarah Dines grouped question UIN 181754 question first answered 26/04/2023 08:36:02 answering member 4816 label Biography information for Miss Sarah Dines
	tabling member	450 label Biography information for Tony Lloyd

1698158

	registered interest
	date	22/03/2024
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Sexual Offences: Prosecutions
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to ensure the (a) integrity and (b) confidentiality of digital evidence in sexual assault cases.
	tabling member constituency	Slough
	tabling member printed	Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi
	uin	20095
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/04/2024 answer text <p>The Government’s Rape Review highlighted the importance of digital forensics and disclosure of digital material in improving our response to sexual offences.</p><p> </p><p>We have legislated to put the Forensic Science Regulator (FSR) and code of practice on a statutory footing. Compliance with the FSR’s code will ensure the integrity of digital evidence presented to the courts, helping to maintain public confidence in our systems.</p><p>Through the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act (2022), we introduced a clear statutory basis for requesting devices from victims of crime so that information is only shared with their agreement and where necessary and proportionate and in response to a reasonable line of enquiry. This helps forces to ensure that the high standards of Data Protection Act are met when processing sensitive personal information belonging to victims of crime.</p><p>We are also working across the system to ensure that police forces have the technology and capabilities they require. In 23/24, the Home Office invested £8.2m to increase capacity and speed in digital forensics, including supporting selective extraction and examination of data on digital devices to better protect victims from intrusive investigations.</p><p> </p><p>To drive further improvements in the response to sexual offences, we invested £9.4m in Operation Soteria, bringing together police and academics to develop a new national operating model for the investigation of rape which is currently being implemented by all police forces in England and Wales.</p> answering member constituency Newbury answering member printed Laura Farris question first answered 02/04/2024 11:05:21 answering member 4826 label Biography information for Laura Farris
	tabling member	4638 label Biography information for Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi

1686093

	registered interest
	date	30/01/2024
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Sexual Offences: Prosecutions
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government, in each of the past five years in England and Wales, how many prosecutions were brought for rape and serious sexual assault; how many allegations of rape or serious sexual assault reported to police have not been taken to prosecution; and what percentage of prosecutions have resulted in conviction.
	tabling member printed	Lord Dobbs
	uin	HL2027
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/02/2024 answer text <p>This government is committed to increasing the volumes of rape and serious sexual offence cases that reach court.</p><p> </p><p>In 2019, we commissioned our end-to-end Rape Review to better understand the justice system’s response to adult rape. Published in 2021, our watershed report set stretching ambitions to return the volumes of adult rape cases being referred by the police, charged by the CPS, and reaching court back to 2016 levels by the end of this Parliament. In practice, this meant more than doubling the number of adult rape cases reaching court compared to when the Review was first commissioned, in 2019.</p><p> </p><p>The latest data shows that we have exceeded each of these ambitions ahead of schedule. In July – September 2023, we recorded:</p><ul><li><strong>1,470 total police referrals, exceeding our 2016 ambition of 766 </strong>by 91% and now more than triple (+219%) the 2019 quarterly average.</li><li><strong>668 CPS charges, exceeding our ambition of 538 </strong>by 24% and now more than double (+174%) the 2019 quarterly average.</li><li><strong>665 Crown Court receipts, exceeding our ambition of 553 </strong>by 20% and now more than double (+188%) the 2019 quarterly average.</li></ul><p>In addition, the number of people prosecuted for an adult rape offence went up by 54% in the last year (12 months to June), rising from 1,410 to 2,165. This is 32% higher than in 2010 (1,644).</p><p> </p><p>But we are determined to build on these successes, and continue to make excellent progress in delivering our Rape Review Action Plan to support victims throughout the criminal justice system:</p><ul><li>For one, it is right that rapists, and those convicted of the most serious sexual offences, remain in prison for the whole of their custodial term and that they are subject to proper supervision in the community on their release with a suitable license period. We will legislate through our Sentencing Bil<strong>l</strong> to make sure that this happens.</li><li>Through Operation Soteria, we are ensuring that every police force and CPS area embeds new, transformative National Operating Models that will radically improve the way the police investigate and the CPS prosecute adult rape. The five forces who first adopted Soteria have all seen charges increase.</li><li>Having recruited 20,000 extra police officers, bringing the total number to a record peak, by April 2024 2,000 officers will receive specialist training on rape and sexual offences, making sure the police have the skills and capability to investigate these crimes.</li><li>We continue to offer our 24/7 support line for victims of rape and sexual violence, ensuring victims of these abhorrent crimes always have someone on hand to support them.</li><li>We are quadrupling victims funding by 2024/25, up from £41 million in 2009/10, which will enable us to increase the number of Independent Sexual Violence and Domestic Abuse Advisors by 300 to over 1,000 – a 43% increase by 2024/5.</li></ul><p>As far as possible, we have provided the requested data in Tables 1-3. Please note that each table contains data extracted from different administrative systems, and for different operational purposes. Whilst every effort has been made to answer the question and keep the data similar it is important to note that the data presented is complementary, rather than directly comparable. Below is a summary of each table and its contents, including a final Annex table (Table A1) which specifies how offences for rape and serious sexual assault have been captured.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Table 1 – Volume of defendants proceeded against for rape or ‘serious’ sexual assault offences, year ending June 2019 to year ending June 2023, England and Wales</strong></p><p>The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) publish the data set out in Table 1 in <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-system-statistics-quarterly-june-2023" target="_blank"><em>Criminal Justice System statistics quarterly: June 2023</em></a><em>, </em>in the<em> Outcomes by Offence data tool </em>(last updated 18 January 2024).</p><p>The MoJ tool contains data on the volume of convictions, but it is advised these are not used to calculate conviction rate (the number of convictions as a proportion of the number of prosecutions). This is due to the Court Proceedings Database counting two separate records at two separate stages (one for prosecution, one for conviction). An individual may appear at each court in separate years, or for a different principal offence at different stages. As a result, this rate is not an accurate measure of the proportion of prosecutions that result in a conviction and we recommend table 3 for that purpose.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Table 2 – Rape and ‘serious’ sexual offences (RASSO) recorded by the police that were not assigned a charge outcome, as a proportion of all RASSO cases closed each year, year ending June 2019 to year ending June 2023, England and Wales</strong></p><p>The Home Office (HO) publish the data set out in Table 2 in the quarterly publication <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-recorded-crime-open-data-tables" target="_blank"><em>Open Data Tables</em></a><em>, </em>in the<em> Outcomes Open Data</em> files (last updated on 25 January 2024). It is important to note that the Home Office do not hold data on prosecutions, but publish data on <em>recorded</em> cases that do not receive a charge outcome, presented in Table 2.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Table 2b – Number of reported incidents of rape (excluding offences recorded by the police) and cancelled rape offences, year ending March 2019 to year ending March 2023, England and Wales</strong></p><p>Since April 2015, the police have been expected to record all allegations of rape that are reported to them as soon as they are received, unless they are immediately recorded as a confirmed crime. These are recorded under the reported incidents classification. Reported incidents of rape are then either confirmed as a crime and re-classified accordingly (as recorded offences) or are retained in the police data as an incident. Table 2b shows a total of reported incidents that do not go on to be recorded as a crime, and cancelled rape offences. An incident does not go on to be recorded as a crime if the victim or third party reporting the incident cannot confirm it or cannot be traced, if credible evidence to the contrary exists, or if it is transferred to another police force. These data are published here: <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/652eaab16b6fbf000db75843/prc-rape-incidents-2016-2023.ods" target="_blank">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/652eaab16b6fbf000db75843/prc-rape-incidents-2016-2023.ods)</a>. Rape allegations are ‘cancelled’ when there is additional information to confirm the offence did not take place or where the entry is made in error (such as a duplicate of an existing allegation). Home Office can be contacted directly for further comment on these data.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Table 3 – Conviction rate for suspects with a rape flagged offence, year ending June 2019 to year ending June 2023, England and Wales</strong></p><p>The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) publish the data set out in Table 3 in <a href="https://www.cps.gov.uk/publication/cps-quarterly-data-summaries" target="_blank"><em>CPS quarterly data summaries</em></a> (last updated on 18 January 2024). Prosecution crime type data tables were used to extract conviction rates for rape flagged cases. Due to the nature of CPS systems, the conviction rate based on rape flags will include cases where the eventual outcome is different to the flagged offence of rape.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Table A1: Definition of rape and 'serious' sexual assault by organisation (MoJ, Home Office, Crown Prosecution Service)</strong></p><p>This table sets out how rape and ‘serious’ sexual assault offences have been selected for each of the tables. The most substantial difference is between CPS and MoJ/Home Office data, as the CPS rely on the use of flags and do not record offences by detailed offence code in the same way as the MoJ/Home Office (meaning detailed offences would need to be extracted manually, and are not published). Home Office and MoJ offences broadly correspond but, due to differences in recording practices and operational uses some of the offences follow different description conventions.</p> answering member printed Lord Bellamy question first answered 13/02/2024 17:51:28 answering member 4941 label Biography information for Lord Bellamy attachment 1 file name 2024-02-13 PQ HL2027 - Tables 1-3 and A1.xlsx title HL2027_tables
	tabling member	4192 label Biography information for Lord Dobbs

1660501

	registered interest
	date	13/09/2023
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Sexual Offences: Prosecutions
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of prosecutions for sexual offence cases are awaiting a (a) trial and (b) other court hearing, as of 13 September 2023.
	tabling member constituency	Newport West
	tabling member printed	Ruth Jones
	uin	199447
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/09/2023 answer text <p>The volume of outstanding sexual offence cases at the Crown Court in England and Wales is routinely published as part of the National Statistics series ‘Criminal court statistics quarterly’. The latest published data is available to the end of March 2023 and can be found as part of the ‘Crown Court cases received, disposed and outstanding tool’ which is available at the link below:</p><p><a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1166126/cc_rdos_tool.xlsx" target="_blank">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1166126/cc_rdos_tool.xlsx</a></p><p> </p><p>‘For trial' cases relates to the case type at the point of receipt into the Crown Court - these are the cases that could go to trial, but they may not necessarily result in a trial (i.e. if a guilty plea is entered). It is not currently possible to separately identify cases which are awaiting a trial start from those which are ongoing in the published statistics.</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar question first answered 21/09/2023 11:35:47 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
	tabling member	4716 label Biography information for Ruth Jones

1348281

	registered interest
	date	19/07/2021
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Sexual Offences: Prosecutions
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people were prosecuted for committing an offence under section 5 of the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 1992 in each of the last 10 years.
	tabling member constituency	Tottenham
	tabling member printed	Mr David Lammy
	uin	35487
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/07/2021 answer text <p>The Ministry of Justice has published information on prosecutions under the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 1992 in England and Wales, up to December 2020, available in the ‘Principal offence proceedings and outcomes by Home Office offence code’ data tool, which can be found here:</p><p>https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/987731/HO-code-tool-principal-offence-2020.xlsx</p><p>Data showing the number of defendants prosecuted under section 5 of this Act, in England and Wales from 2010 to 2020 (latest available) can be found in the attached table.</p><p>The data supplied is a subset of published information from the Courts Proceedings database.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk question first answered 22/07/2021 14:45:04 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk attachment 1 file name PQ 35487 table.xlsx title Table
	tabling member	206 label Biography information for Mr David Lammy

1278029

	registered interest
	date	19/01/2021
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Sexual Offences: Prosecutions
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prosecutions for the offence of sexual assault by penetration under the Sexual Offences Act 2003 have been made in cases where the victim had experienced county lines exploitation in each year since 2015.
	tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Yardley
	tabling member printed	Jess Phillips
	uin	140126
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/01/2021 answer text <p>The Government recognises the devastating impact of county lines activity on children and vulnerable people which can include both sexual and criminal exploitation. Prosecutions data involving offences under the Sexual Offences Act 2003 held centrally by the MoJ does not include such detailed information about the victim to indicate whether they had been a victim of county lines exploitation previously. This information may be held on court record, however to identify it would require access to detailed court records and transcripts, which would incur disproportionate cost.</p><p> </p><p>However, the Ministry of Justice has published information on prosecutions, up to December 2019, for the following offences: ‘Sexual assault on a female – penetration’, ‘Sexual assault on a male – penetration’, Sexual assault of a male child under 13 - penetration’, ‘Sexual assault of a female child under 13 – penetration’ and ‘Causing sexual activity without consent – penetration’. These are available in the Outcomes by Offence data tool:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/888664/outcomes-by-offence-tool-2019.xlsx" target="_blank">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/888664/outcomes-by-offence-tool-2019.xlsx</a></p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk question first answered 26/01/2021 15:44:11 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
	tabling member	4370 label Biography information for Jess Phillips

1247252

	registered interest
	date	30/10/2020
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Sexual Offences: Prosecutions
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prosecutions for the offence of sexual assault by penetration under the Sexual Offences Act 2003 were made in cases where the victim had experienced county lines exploitation in each year since 2015.
	tabling member constituency	South Shields
	tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
	uin	109782
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/11/2020 answer text <p>The Government recognises the devastating impact of county lines activity on children and vulnerable people which can include both sexual and criminal exploitation. Prosecutions data involving offences under the Sexual Offences Act 2003 held centrally by the MoJ does not include such detailed information about the victim to indicate whether they had been a victim of county lines exploitation previously. This information may be held on court record, however to identify it would require access to detailed court records and transcripts, which would incur disproportionate cost.</p><p>However, the Ministry of Justice has published information on prosecutions, up to December 2019, for the following offences: ‘Sexual assault on a female – penetration’, ‘Sexual assault on a male – penetration’, Sexual assault of a male child under 13 - penetration’, ‘Sexual assault of a female child under 13 – penetration’ and ‘Causing sexual activity without consent – penetration’. These are available in the Outcomes by Offence data tool:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/888664/outcomes-by-offence-tool-2019.xlsx" target="_blank">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/888664/outcomes-by-offence-tool-2019.xlsx</a></p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk question first answered 09/11/2020 13:52:57 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
	tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

1403082

	registered interest
	date	14/01/2022
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Sexual Offences: Prosecutions
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of reversing the burden of proof in respect of consent in cases of sexual assault.
	tabling member constituency	York Central
	tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
	uin	104373
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/01/2022 answer text <p>Section 74 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 states that, for the purposes of sexual offences including sexual assault, a person consents if he or she agrees by choice, and has the freedom and capacity to make that choice. As with other elements of the offence, the prosecution is required to prove the lack of consent in sexual assault cases. However sections 75 and 76 of the same Act make provision for certain presumptions around consent which may mean in some cases the prosecution does not need to prove a lack of consent.</p><p> </p><p>Under section 75, where certain facts are proved (including, for example, that the complainant was asleep or unconscious or violence was being used at the time), the complainant will be taken not to have consented <em>unless</em> the defendant can provide sufficient evidence to raise an issue, to be put to the jury, as to whether the complainant consented. If the defendant cannot provide sufficient evidence, then the presumption stands and the prosecution will not have to prove an absence of consent.</p><p> </p><p>Under section 76, if it is proved that the defendant intentionally deceived the complainant as to the nature or purpose of the act, or the defendant intentionally induced the complainant to consent by impersonating a person known personally to them, the complainant will be taken not to have consented. This presumption is irrebuttable so where section 76 applies, the prosecution does not have to prove a lack of consent.</p><p> </p><p>The law in this area is long established and well understood by the courts, police and practitioners. The Government has no plans to amend the law in this area.</p> answering member constituency South Suffolk answering member printed James Cartlidge question first answered 24/01/2022 16:29:34 answering member 4519 label Biography information for James Cartlidge
	tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1177388

	registered interest
	date	10/02/2020
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Sexual Offences: Prosecutions
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent discussions he has had with the Director of Public Prosecutions on ensuring more effective prosecutions of cases involving (a) rape and (b) other sexual offences.
	tabling member constituency	Bermondsey and Old Southwark
	tabling member printed	Neil Coyle
	uin	14774
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/02/2020 answer text <p>The Secretary of State for Justice and the Director of Public Prosecutions meet regularly to discuss a number of joint workstreams in the Criminal Justice System, including rape prosecutions, and most recently met in January. Both the Secretary of State for Justice and the Director of Public Prosecutions are committed to working together to ensure rape and other sexual offences are prosecuted more effectively. It is encouraging that the CPS is working with the police to develop new ways of working to improve case progression, digital capability and disclosure, expertise, supporting victims, and stakeholder engagement.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 18/02/2020 13:34:31 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
	tabling member	4368 label Biography information for Neil Coyle

1536414

	registered interest
	date	26/10/2022
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Sexual Offences: Prosecutions
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to tackle low prosecution rates for cases of rape and sexual assault.
	tabling member constituency	Wakefield
	tabling member printed	Simon Lightwood
	uin	72506
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/10/2022 answer text <p>The government remains committed to improving the Criminal Justice System response to rape and increase the number of adult rape cases reaching court. In June 2021, we published the End-to-End Rape Review Action Plan which set out a programme of work to address problems across the system and set out a public ambition to more than double the number of adult rape cases reaching court by the end of this Parliament. We continue to deliver on the cross-system Action Plan by:</p><ul><li><p>More than quadrupling funding for victim support from £41m in 2009/10 to £192m by 2024/25 and increasing the number of Independent Sexual and Domestic Abuse Advisors to over 1,000 by 2024/25;</p></li><li><p>Introducing a single source of 24/7 support for victims of rape and sexual abuse later this year;</p></li><li><p>The police and Crown Prosecution Service are continuing to roll out a new investigatory model for rape – known as Operation Soteria – which focuses on the suspect’s, rather than the victim’s, behaviour. This has now begun operating across 19 police forces;</p></li><li><p>This September we also completed the rollout of pre-recorded cross-examination for victims of sexual and modern slavery offences in all Crown Courts in England and Wales. This will spare victims the glare of a live courtroom;</p></li><li><p>In June, we announced enhanced specialist sexual violence support in selected Crown Courts which includes improving facilities &amp; technology at court, ensuring strong on-site support, improving communication with victims and better training;</p></li><li><p>To help improve waiting times for victims of crime and reduce the Crown Court backlog, over the next three financial years, we are also investing an extra £477 million for the Criminal Justice System.</p></li></ul><p> </p><p>These measures are starting to have an impact. According to latest data, we are currently on-track to reach our ambitions set out in the Rape Review.</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar question first answered 31/10/2022 10:38:04 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
	tabling member	4943 label Biography information for Simon Lightwood