Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Sexual Offences

Wednesday 23 February 2022 · 7 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 2 Partly answered 4 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The Government has seen an increase in reported sexual offences, likely due to greater confidence among victims to report crimes.
  • The Government acknowledges issues in the criminal justice system regarding the investigation and prosecution of rape cases.
  • The Government is considering the Law Commission's proposals on public sexual harassment and is evaluating the impact of making misogyny a hate crime.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Andrew Gwynne Ind Gorton and Denton
Crime & Law Enforcement Justice & Courts
Context

Recent trends show an increase in reported sexual offences, raising concerns about the effectiveness of current measures.

Question

What steps she is taking with the Home Secretary to tackle the potential causes of recent trends in the level of reported sexual offences?

Answer from Rachel Maclean

We know that rape and sexual offences are still too often hidden crimes. We have seen a large increase in police-recorded sexual offences, likely due to victims having additional confidence to report following high-profile cases and the reopening of the night-time economy. Our rape review outlines a robust plan of action to drive improvement at every stage of the criminal justice system.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not provide specific steps being taken with the Home Secretary.

How: Under Review

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Q2 Catherine West Lab Hornsey and Friern Barnet
Crime & Law Enforcement Justice & Courts
Context

Only one in 75 women who report rape see their case result in a conviction, highlighting issues with the investigation and prosecution processes.

Question

One in 75 women who report rape see their case come to a conclusion and a conviction. What does she say to women who feel they have not had their cases properly investigated?

Answer from Rachel Maclean

We acknowledge issues across the criminal justice system, including with the Crown Prosecution Service. We have set ambitious goals for our partners to improve the rate of rape prosecutions and will continue pushing them.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not provide a direct answer to why women feel discouraged from pursuing their cases.

How: Committed

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Q3 Andrew Gwynne Ind Gorton and Denton
Women & Equalities
Context

Labour calls for misogyny to be recognised as a hate crime, but the Government opposes this move.

Question

Why are the Government seeking to overturn our call to make misogyny a hate crime?

Answer from Rachel Maclean

The Government is considering the Law Commission's proposals and believes that making misogyny a hate crime could have harmful effects on prosecutions. We are determined to tackle violence against women and girls but do not see this as an effective measure.

Answered
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Q4 Caroline Nokes Con Romsey and Southampton North
Crime & Law Enforcement
Context

The Law Commission suggests adding public sexual harassment as a specific crime to improve prosecution rates.

Question

Does she agree with the Law Commission that public sexual harassment should be a specific crime?

Answer from Rachel Maclean

The Home Office is looking carefully at whether there should be additional offences for public sexual harassment. We are already supporting women and girls through measures like high-profile national communications campaigns to encourage reporting of such incidents.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not provide a direct agreement or disagreement with the Law Commission's suggestion.

How: Under Review

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Q5 Peter Bone Con
Crime & Law Enforcement Justice & Courts
Context

Human trafficking cases are under-reported with low conviction rates.

Question

Will the Government support a private Member's Bill to ensure more victims see perpetrators behind bars?

Answer from Rachel Maclean

We are already supporting victims of trafficking through modern slavery legislation and the national referral mechanism. We should be proud of our work in protecting and supporting these individuals, which is leading the world in this area.

Not addressed: Did not directly address whether the Government will support the Bill.

How: Changing Subject

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Q6 Anneliese Dodds Labour (Co-op) Oxford East
Women & Equalities
Context

Officers and constables support the idea of classifying misogyny as a hate crime.

Question

Can she explain why the Government seems to disagree with making misogyny a hate crime?

Answer from Rachel Maclean

The Law Commission experts have advised that the Labour amendment would make prosecutions harder. We do not want to see this outcome and therefore are not supporting such measures.

Answered
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Q7 Anneliese Dodds Labour (Co-op) Oxford East
Crime & Law Enforcement Women & Equalities
Context

Sarah Everard's kidnap and murder occurred a year ago, highlighting the need for action on violence against women. Sexual offences have reached record highs while prosecutions are at record lows.

Question

I have been listening to police forces, their officers, and victims about violence against women. Next week marks a year since Sarah Everard's kidnap and murder. Despite this, sexual offences and rape have hit record highs, while prosecutions have fallen to record lows. We must treat violence against women as seriously as terrorism or organised crime. Will the Government make violence against women and girls a strategic policing requirement?

Answer from Rachel Maclean

There is agreement across the House on dealing with violence against women and girls. We have allocated record sums to tackle these crimes. The measures mentioned are under consideration, and more information will be provided shortly.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not commit to making violence against women a strategic policing requirement

How: We Are Looking At This, More Information Will Be Provided Shortly

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