Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls

Tuesday 21 February 2023 · 4 questions

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

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 4 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Ministerial steps to reform the criminal justice system to tackle violence against women and girls are being discussed.
  • The number of rape cases reported, referred for charge, and reaching the Crown court is increasing, showing progress.
  • Convictions for adult rape offences have risen by 65% over the past year compared to pre-pandemic levels.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Chi Onwurah Lab Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West
Justice & Courts Women & Equalities
Context

The question arises from the pressing issue of violence against women and girls, focusing on the need for reforms in the criminal justice system to address high levels of reported rape without corresponding prosecutions.

Question

What steps his Department is taking to reform the criminal justice system to help tackle violence against women and girls. Fewer than one in 50 recorded rapes results in a charge and it takes two years on average for a rape case to come to court. I hope the Minister will congratulate Northumbria's police and crime commissioner, Kim McGuinness, on introducing independent sexual violence champions to support victims in their journey through the criminal justice system in the face of the massive failure of his Government, which is retraumatising victims. Will he agree to the immediate roll-out of specialist rape courts to prioritise rape victims, to which Labour is committed?

Answer from Edward Argar

The hon. Lady raises a hugely important issue. It is completely unacceptable that women and girls continue to be subject to violence and to the horrendous crimes that constitute VAWG—violence against women and girls. That is why, on top of the significant measures already taken by the Government, the Home Secretary yesterday announced a range of additional steps, including adding the most dangerous domestic abuse offenders to the violent and sex offender register. Much has already been done, but it is right that the Government remain focused on doing more and on continuing our reforms in this area, as I am sure the hon. Lady would expect. I am happy to join the hon. Lady in congratulating her local police and crime commissioner on her work on this hugely important issue. On the hon. Lady's point about courts, she will be aware that three courts—Snaresbrook, Leeds and Newcastle—are piloting additional measures on these issues. Those pilots are in their relatively early months and it would be wrong to prejudge them.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Commitment to roll out specialist rape courts immediately was not addressed

How: Pilot Projects

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Q2 Chi Onwurah Lab Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West
Crime & Law Enforcement Justice & Courts
Context

The question is based on recent research indicating a high conviction rate for rape cases, which contradicts the perception of systemic failure in handling such cases.

Question

Fewer than one in 50 recorded rapes results in a charge and it takes two years on average for a rape case to come to court. I hope the Minister will congratulate Northumbria's police and crime commissioner, Kim McGuinness, on introducing independent sexual violence champions to support victims in their journey through the criminal justice system in the face of the massive failure of his Government, which is retraumatising victims. Will he agree to the immediate roll-out of specialist rape courts to prioritise rape victims, to which Labour is committed?

Answer from Edward Argar

The number of reports to the police of rape and serious sexual offences is going up, the number of referrals from the police to the Crown Prosecution Service for charge is going up, and the number of Crown court receipts is going up. Those are all significant signs of progress. Three courts—Snaresbrook, Leeds and Newcastle—are piloting additional measures on these issues.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Commitment to roll out specialist rape courts immediately was not addressed

How: Pilot Projects

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Q3 Bob Neill Con
Crime & Law Enforcement Justice & Courts
Context

The question refers to recent research indicating a significant rise in the conviction rate for rape cases, suggesting improvements in handling such crimes.

Question

Has he seen the research published this week in the Criminal Law Review based on the largest ever dataset of Crown court cases, which suggests that convictions for rape have risen markedly since 2018 and now stand at 75%, against an increase in charging as well, and that the conviction rate for rape and serious sexual offences is now higher than for other offences of violence against the person? That is important information. That work was carried out by Professor Cheryl Thomas, who is regarded as the leading academic expert on juries, using the largest ever dataset. Does the Minister agree that we should take that into account when we consider how best to take forward our policies to bear down on these serious offences—using up-to-date information to adjust our policies?

Answer from Edward Argar

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. Significant progress has been made, and it is important to base our debates on evidence. The number of people convicted of an adult rape offence went up by 65% over the past year; compared to pre-pandemic levels, convictions are up by 41%. That is significant progress.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Explicit agreement with research findings was not provided

How: Debate On Evidence

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Q4 Ellie Reeves Lab Lewisham West and East Dulwich
Crime & Law Enforcement Justice & Courts
Context

The question highlights ongoing concerns about the effectiveness of the criminal justice system in handling rape cases, citing low conviction rates and long wait times for trials.

Question

Two years on from the Government's end-to-end rape review, rape allegations leading to a charge or summons stand at 1.6%, rape victims are waiting 1,113 days for their case to get to court, and only 2,500 rape prosecutions were completed last year—half the level of 2016. Is this not a Government who are letting rapists off and letting victims down?

Answer from Edward Argar

While there is still more to do, there has been considerable progress under this Government. The number of people convicted of an adult rape offence went up by 65% over the past year; compared to pre-pandemic levels, convictions are up by 41%. That is significant progress. The Government are supporting the roll-out of Operation Soteria, quadrupling funding for victim and witness support services, and increasing the number of independent sexual and domestic abuse advisers by 300, to over 1,000.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Acknowledgement of system failure was not given

How: Progress Made

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