Contributions
2,107 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDAllegations of Rape: Effective InvestigationsTwo of the key planks of the work that we will be undertaking in this area—indeed, we have started already—are, first, yes, to shorten the timeframe between a report and a case…07 Jun 2021HANSARD Criminal Justice Review: Response to RapeI thank the Chair of the Home Affairs Committee for her question, but it would be a mistake to point to one particular issue driving the drop. We know, for example, that the…25 May 2021HANSARD Criminal Justice Review: Response to RapeI am sorry to hear the numbers from South Yorkshire, and I know the hon. Lady will address them with the police and crime commissioner there, who is responsible for the…25 May 2021HANSARD Criminal Justice Review: Response to RapeI agree with the hon. Lady about resources and training. The development of expertise, which she obviously had in her career, is a key part of the Crown Prosecution Service and…25 May 2021HANSARD Criminal Justice Review: Response to RapeMy hon. Friend is absolutely right that one of the key issues that we have to address is what they call “victim attrition”, which is a slightly depersonalised, desensitised phrase…25 May 2021HANSARD Criminal Justice Review: Response to RapeMy hon. Friend is absolutely right that trust in the police, the prosecution service and the courts is critical to building the confidence and legitimacy on which our…25 May 2021HANSARD Criminal Justice Review: Response to RapeThe hon. Lady makes an important point which, as I am sure she appreciates, is not within my ministerial ambit to comment on. However, through the work of the Department for…25 May 2021HANSARD Criminal Justice Review: Response to RapeMy hon. Friend is right that we have to make sure in all we do that victims are at the heart of the criminal justice system, and he will have seen in the recent Queen’s Speech…25 May 2021HANSARD Criminal Justice Review: Response to RapeThe hon. Member is quite right. As I have said, the numbers are deeply, deeply regrettable, and he is correct that not enough victims are getting justice in court. There have…25 May 2021HANSARD Criminal Justice Review: Response to RapeObviously, one of the key themes that we wanted to address as a Government is a general sense of safety in the public realm. That is why we are recruiting 20,000 more police…25 May 2021HANSARD Criminal Justice Review: Response to RapeMy hon. Friend is absolutely right that we need to create a self-reinforcing story of success, where the support we give to victims and the changes in our methodology and indeed…25 May 2021HANSARD Criminal Justice Review: Response to RapeI am grateful to the Chair of the Select Committee. He is quite right that to get this complicated and difficult piece of work correct, it was appropriate for us to delay. I have…25 May 2021HANSARD Criminal Justice Review: Response to RapeI completely appreciate the hon. Lady’s righteous anger about this situation. As I said in my statement, this is not a matter about which any of us are particularly pleased or…25 May 2021HANSARD Criminal Justice Review: Response to RapeI share my hon. Friend’s concern about the low figures in military courts as well, and I will of course discuss that with the Secretary of State for Defence or my ministerial…25 May 2021HANSARD Criminal Justice Review: Response to RapeOf course we consulted survivors, and a number of organisations that represent survivors were represented on the engagement panel as part of the development of the review. Indeed,…25 May 2021HANSARD Criminal Justice Review: Response to RapeI am very distressed to hear the experience of my hon. Friend’s constituent; it sounds like a dreadful case. On the therapy issue, the guidelines in place say that pre-trial…25 May 2021HANSARD Criminal Justice Review: Response to RapeI hope that, given his obvious conviction and commitment to this issue, my hon. Friend will volunteer to be on the Committee that considers the victims’ Bill when it enters the…25 May 2021HANSARD Criminal Justice Review: Response to RapeAs you will know, Madam Deputy Speaker, victims of these kinds of offences do have a right to lifetime anonymity. Although I have to admit that that penalty standing alone does…25 May 2021HANSARD Criminal Justice Review: Response to RapeMy hon. Friend raises a critical issue, which, as she says, is at the heart of so many of these investigations. I know that, as part of their joint action plan, the police and the…25 May 2021HANSARD Criminal Justice Review: Response to RapeI am grateful to my hon. Friend, who, as usual, puts her finger on the key issue—the relationship between the police and the CPS, in their collaboration to get a case to court, is…25 May 2021