Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Violence Against Women and Girls

Thursday 14 November 2024 · 5 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 3 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Government committed to halving violence against women and girls in the next decade
  • Government allocated 49 million in the Budget for the Crown Prosecution Service
  • New domestic abuse joint justice plan between police and prosecutors introduced

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Will Stone Lab Swindon North
Crime & Law Enforcement Women & Equalities
Context

The question addresses prosecution rates for cases involving violence against women and girls, pointing out the need for concrete steps to improve outcomes.

Question

What steps she is taking to help increase prosecution rates for cases in relation to violence against women and girls. Prosecutions and convictions have plummeted over eight years under the previous Government, with a dramatic increase in case processing time.

Answer from Sarah Sackman

This Government are committed to halving violence against women and girls in the next decade. We are not only fixing the foundations of our economy, but rebuilding trust in our criminal justice system, with an additional £49 million in the Budget for the Crown Prosecution Service. This will mean additional specialists in rape and serious sexual offences, boosting investigators to tackle those awful offences.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific measures to expedite prosecutions were not addressed directly

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Q2 Sarah Coombes Lab West Bromwich
Crime & Law Enforcement Justice & Courts
Context

The question highlights a significant number of domestic abuse victims in Sandwell and the need for faster justice delivery to break cycles of abuse.

Question

Last year, over 3,000 women in Sandwell were victims of domestic abuse. Getting cases through the justice system quicker is vital to breaking the cycle of abuse and protecting victims. Can the Minister set out further what the Government are doing to make sure the police and prosecutors work together to tackle domestic abuse?

Answer from Sarah Sackman

I thank my hon. Friend for raising that very important point, and for the work she is doing in this area. For too long, victims of domestic abuse across the country have been let down, but this week, we have welcomed a new domestic abuse joint justice plan between police and prosecutors. That plan will see them working more closely together to support victims, in order to deliver swifter investigation and justice for all.

Answered

Not addressed: null

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Q3 Will Stone Lab Swindon North
Crime & Law Enforcement Justice & Courts
Context

The question addresses a significant drop in prosecutions for domestic abuse cases and the increasing time taken to charge these cases, indicating an urgent need for reforms.

Question

Prosecutions and convictions for domestic abuse plummeted over the last eight years under the previous Government. Additionally, the time taken to charge domestic abuse cases has increased dramatically. Given the alarming rise in delays, what measures is the Solicitor General implementing to expedite those processes and ensure timely justice for victims?

Answer from Sarah Sackman

My hon. Friend raises a powerful point. He is right that between 2016-17 and 2023-24 the number of domestic abuse flagged cases received from the police by the CPS dropped by nearly 36%. We are beginning to see a rebound in those figures, but much more needs to be done. We need a whole-system approach to fix the system, and our domestic abuse joint justice plan will ensure that the CPS and police work more closely together to address those delays from the very outset of a case.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific measures to expedite processes were not detailed

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Q4 James Wild Con North West Norfolk
Crime & Law Enforcement Justice & Courts
Context

The question comes from a constituent who experienced poor treatment in a rape case, highlighting the need for better communication and support.

Question

I have been contacted by a constituent who had concerns about how they were treated in a rape case, and about the communication that came from the police and the CPS. What steps is the Solicitor General taking to ensure victims are properly informed all the way through?

Answer from Sarah Sackman

I thank the hon. Member for his question, and I am sorry to hear about that specific case. I am of course happy to make contact directly with any local chief Crown prosecutors to address that case. More generally, victim transformation work is taking place across both police and CPS, such as investment in victim liaison officers to make sure that there is a single point of contact so that victims are supported right the way through the criminal justice process.

Answered

Not addressed: null

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Q5 Helen Grant Con Maidstone and Malling
Women & Equalities Children & Families
Context

The question acknowledges the importance of reducing violence against women and girls, asking for specifics on early intervention and prevention measures.

Question

Violence against women and children is abhorrent and inexcusable. It crushes self-confidence and self-esteem in victims, wrecks families and ruins lives. As someone who was a family lawyer for 23 years before coming to this place, I welcome the Government's mission to halve violence against women and girls within the next decade. To achieve that important goal, what action are the Government taking on prevention and early intervention, and when will the specialist rape courts be introduced?

Answer from Sarah Sackman

I welcome the shadow Solicitor General to her place. She brings enormous experience, not only in legal matters but specifically in relation to violence against women and girls, and I look forward to working constructively with her in this area. In answer to the hon. Lady's question, she is right that the commitment to halve violence against women and girls in the next decade is a cross-Government initiative. Prevention and early intervention are a core part of that; that is why when the VAWG mission board met earlier, there was a real focus on education—how we educate about consent and early intervention, so that we can prevent these cases from entering the criminal justice process.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specifics of prevention actions were not detailed

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