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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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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