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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

1180106

registered interest
date	24/02/2020
answering body	Attorney General
answering dept id	88
answering dept short name	Attorney General
answering dept sort name	Attorney General
hansard heading	Attorney General: Civil Society
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Attorney General, how much funding his Department has allocated to (a) civil society and (b) campaigning bodies in each of the last three years.
tabling member constituency	Harlow
tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
uin	19824
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/03/2020 answer text <p>The Attorney General’s Office has not allocated any funding to civil society or<br>campaigning bodies in the last three years.</p><p /><p /> answering member constituency Northampton North answering member printed Michael Ellis question first answered 03/03/2020 13:04:31 answering member 4116 label Biography information for Sir Michael Ellis
tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1145056

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: Convictions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Attorney General, what steps the Government is taking to improve the conviction rate for rape and sexual offences.
tabling member constituency	Harlow
tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
uin	287542
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 16:42:25 answering member 1508 label Biography information for Sir Geoffrey Cox
tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

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

1133329

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
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Attorney General, whether he has had discussions with the CPS on removing reference to the merits-based approach from (a) guidance and (b) training materials on rape and sexual offences.
tabling member constituency	Harlow
tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
uin	266818
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/06/2019 answer text <p>Rape and serious sexual offences are horrific crimes and can have a devastating impact on victims, and the CPS will always seek to prosecute where there is sufficient evidence to do so. The Attorney General and I regularly discuss issues related to rape and sexual offences with the CPS; however, charging decisions are made independently by the CPS.</p><p> </p><p>There has been no change in policy in how the CPS makes charging decisions in rape cases. Prosecutors in the CPS follow a ‘Code’, which sets out a well-established two stage test that a case must pass before a charge can be made. The first stage of this test is the evidential stage, which considers whether there is sufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction against each suspect on each charge. That test has remained and continues to remain the same. It applies to every single offence no matter how minor or serious.</p><p> </p><p>The Code that prosecutors follow has never included any specific reference to a merits-based assessment of the realistic prospect of conviction because it is an integral part of the evidential test. The second stage of the test is whether it is in the public interest to proceed with a prosecution, this is considered after the evidential stage is fulfilled.</p><p> </p><p>From 2009, DPP guidance included reference to a merits based approach.</p><p> </p><p>Following an inspection by HMCPSI in 2016, it became clear that including a separate reference to the merits based approach in the guidance was causing confusion leading to the incorrect application of the code test. To avoid this confusion, changes were made to the guidance provided by the DPP to prosecutors, including removing a document on the merits based approach.</p><p> </p><p>Those changes should not have, and did not have any impact on the proper application of the Code test that prosecutors follow when making a decision on whether to charge.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 28/06/2019 12:06:30 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon