Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Attorney General, what prosecutions referred by HMRC are (a) ongoing, (b) pending and (c) complete into the illegal importation of Russian oil branded as (i) refined and (ii) from other countries.

Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)

It would not be possible to determine the number of cases involving the illegal importation of Russian oil referred by HM Revenue & Customs to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) without an examination of CPS case files, which would incur disproportionate cost.

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Attorney General, whether she has written to the Prime Minister on Gaza and war crimes since 1 April 2024.

Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General

I cannot answer your question as to do so would be in breach of the Law Officers’ Convention.

Paragraph 2.13 of the Ministerial Code clearly states that the fact that the Law Officers have advised or have not advised and the content of their advice must not be disclosed outside Government without their authority.

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Attorney General, what discussions she has had with (a) Cabinet colleagues and (b) the Government of South Africa on (i) the Supreme Court judgment of 8 May 2024 in Argentum Exploration Ltd v Republic of South Africa [2024] UKSC 16 and (ii) the silver cargo in that case.

Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General

I have not had any discussions with the Government of South Africa on this legal case.

With respect to discussions with Cabinet colleagues, the Law Officers’ Convention requires that it is not generally disclosed outside Government whether I have been asked to provide advice or the contents of any such advice. This is a long-standing principle of Cabinet collective agreement which enables the government of the day to obtain frank and full legal advice in confidence.

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Attorney General, how many successful prosecutions have been made for new criminal offences created by the Online Safety Act 2023.

Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General

I wrote to you on this important subject on Friday 17 May 2024. For completeness, I set out my full written response below.

Tackling violence that disproportionately impacts women and girls remains one of this government’s top priorities. Women and girls should be able to go about their lives without being subjected to unwanted sexual images. Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) prosecutors are committed to tackling this unacceptable behaviour.

As you know, this government has recently enacted new offences designed to tackle online offending through the Online Safety Act 2023. This includes the offence of cyberflashing and other intimate image offences.

The CPS has welcomed the enactment of these new offences designed to target predatory behaviour and non-contact sexual offences. It has introduced comprehensive updates to prosecution guidance to support prosecutors to better recognise behaviour-driven and escalating offending. Additionally, it has published ‘Communications Offences’ legal guidance which includes online offences relating to violence against women and girls.

Whilst this legislation is still new, the police are referring more cases to the CPS for charging decisions and I can confirm the CPS secured their first conviction for cyberflashing in February 2024, resulting in the offender being jailed for 66 weeks at Southend Crown Court. I am unable to provide detail on any other cases where there may be live criminal proceedings.

Regrettably, I am unable to provide you with data on prosecutions under the Online Safety Act yet. However, in July the CPS will publish its next data summary covering the period January to March 2024 and after this summary release, more granular data may be shared publicly. This pause ahead of publishing data allows for quality assurance checks and internal scrutiny before publication.

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Attorney General, how many prosecutions have been made under new criminal offences created by the Online Safety Act 2023.

Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General

I wrote to you on this important subject on Friday 17 May 2024. For completeness, I set out my full written response below.

Tackling violence that disproportionately impacts women and girls remains one of this government’s top priorities. Women and girls should be able to go about their lives without being subjected to unwanted sexual images. Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) prosecutors are committed to tackling this unacceptable behaviour.

As you know, this government has recently enacted new offences designed to tackle online offending through the Online Safety Act 2023. This includes the offence of cyberflashing and other intimate image offences.

The CPS has welcomed the enactment of these new offences designed to target predatory behaviour and non-contact sexual offences. It has introduced comprehensive updates to prosecution guidance to support prosecutors to better recognise behaviour-driven and escalating offending. Additionally, it has published ‘Communications Offences’ legal guidance which includes online offences relating to violence against women and girls.

Whilst this legislation is still new, the police are referring more cases to the CPS for charging decisions and I can confirm the CPS secured their first conviction for cyberflashing in February 2024, resulting in the offender being jailed for 66 weeks at Southend Crown Court. I am unable to provide detail on any other cases where there may be live criminal proceedings.

Regrettably, I am unable to provide you with data on prosecutions under the Online Safety Act yet. However, in July the CPS will publish its next data summary covering the period January to March 2024 and after this summary release, more granular data may be shared publicly. This pause ahead of publishing data allows for quality assurance checks and internal scrutiny before publication.

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Attorney General, with reference to the Answer of 20 January 2023 to Question 125287 on Rape: Prosecutions, how many (a) completed prosecutions and (b) convictions there were for sexual offences in each quarter from the start of January 2005 to the end of September 2015.

Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) holds management information on its Case Management System showing the number of defendants allocated the Principal Offence Category of Sexual Offences at completion of prosecution. The Principal Offence Category indicates the most serious offence with which a defendant is charged.

The table below shows the number of completed prosecutions and convictions for sexual offences from the start of January 2005 to the end of September 2015. The data provided in the table is in financial quarters.

‘Total completed prosecutions’ refer to the conclusion of a prosecution case against a defendant such as conviction after trial, guilty plea, acquittal, or the prosecution against the defendant being dropped. ‘Convictions’ refer to convictions after trial and guilty pleas.

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Attorney General, with reference to the Answer of 20 January 2023 to Question 125287 on Rape: Prosecutions, how many (a) completed prosecutions and (b) convictions there were for rape in each quarter from the start of January 2005 to the end of September 2015.

Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) maintains a Case Management System (CMS) which shows the number of defendants where a flag for rape has been added. This flag is applied at the onset of any case referred by the police to the CPS for a charge of rape and remains in place even if the charge is not proceeded with, is amended, or dropped. If a case is referred by the police for a charge other than rape, but subsequently a charge of rape is preferred, the flag is applied at that point.

The tables below show the number of completed prosecutions and convictions in cases where a flag for rape has been added, from 1 April 2006 to the end of September 2015 by quarter. The data provided in the table is in financial quarters.

The CPS’ CMS was introduced during 2004-2005. A national monitoring flag to manage cases where rape offences were referred or later charged was introduced from 1 April 2006. As with any new monitoring system, some variance is expected in the periods immediately following the introduction of a new flagging process.

‘Total completed prosecutions’ refer to the conclusion of a prosecution case against a defendant such as conviction after trial, guilty plea, acquittal, or the prosecution against the defendant being dropped. ‘Convictions’ refer to convictions after trial and guilty pleas.

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Attorney General, pursuant to the Answer of 16 May 2024 to Question 25822 on War Crimes: Gaza and with reference to paragraph 2.13 of the Ministerial Code, updated on 22 December 2022, if she will hold discussions with the Prime Minister on the potential merits of using her authority to publish summaries of advice provided to him on alleged war crimes in Gaza since 1 April 2024.

Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General

As per my previous answer to UIN 25822 tabled on Thursday 16 May, and as reflected in the Ministerial Code, I do not confirm publicly whether I or any other Law Officer has advised on a particular issue or the content of any advice, save where I, as a Law Officer, explicitly consent. That consent is rarely given.

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Attorney General, with reference to the Answer of 20 January 2023 to Question 125287 on Rape: Prosecutions, how many (a) completed prosecutions and (b) convictions there were for burglary in each quarter from the start of January 2005 to the end of September 2015.

Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) holds management information on its Case Management System showing the number of defendants allocated the Principal Offence Category of Burglary at completion of prosecution. The Principal Offence Category indicates the most serious offence with which a defendant is charged.

The table below shows the number of completed prosecutions and convictions for burglary from the start of January 2005 to the end of September 2015. The data provided in the table is in financial quarters.

‘Total completed prosecutions’ refer to the conclusion of a prosecution case against a defendant such as conviction after trial, guilty plea, acquittal, or the prosecution against the defendant being dropped. ‘Convictions’ refer to convictions after trial and guilty pleas.

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Attorney General, pursuant to the Answer of 20 January 2023 to Question 125287 on Rape: Prosecutions, how many (a) completed prosecutions and (b) convictions there were for murder in England and Wales in each quarter from 1 January 2005 to 30 September 2015.

Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) holds management information on its Case Management System showing the number of defendants allocated the Principal Offence Category of Homicide at completion of prosecution. Please note that homicide consists of a range of offences, including, among others:

• Murder
• Attempted murder
• Conspiring or soliciting to commit murder
• Manslaughter (corporate, gross negligence, unlawful act)
• Infanticide
• Child destruction
• Aiding or assisting suicide
• Causing or allowing the death of a child or vulnerable adult
• Causing death by careless or dangerous driving
• Manslaughter due to diminished responsibility
• Causing death by aggravated vehicle taking

The Principal Offence Category indicates the most serious offence with which a defendant is charged.

The table below shows the number of completed prosecutions and convictions for homicide from the start of January 2005 to the end of September 2015. The data provided in the table is in financial quarters.

‘Total completed prosecutions’ refer to the conclusion of a prosecution case against a defendant such as conviction after trial, guilty plea, acquittal, or the prosecution against the defendant being dropped. ‘Convictions’ refer to convictions after trial and guilty pleas.

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Attorney General, with reference to the Answer of 20 January 2023 to Question 125287 on Rape: Prosecutions, how many (a) completed prosecutions and (b) convictions there were for people smuggling in each quarter from the start of January 2005 to the end of September 2015.

Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)

The Immigration Act 1971 (the Act) sets out offences for illegal entry, illegal working, and assisting unlawful immigration into the United Kingdom.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) holds management information showing the number of offences charged by way of section 24 (illegal entry/arrival), section 25 (assisting unlawful immigration to member State or the UK), section 25A (helping an asylum-seeker to enter the UK), and section 25B (assisting entry to the UK in breach of deportation or exclusion order) of the Act in which a prosecution commenced and reached a first hearing at a magistrates’ court.

The table attached shows the number of these offences from the start of January 2005 to the end of September 2015.

The CPS does not hold data which shows the number of defendants charged with, prosecuted, and convicted for offences created by the Act. The figures in the table relate to the number of offences and not the number of individual defendants. An individual defendant may be charged with more than one offence against the same complainant. No data is held showing the final outcome or if the charged offence was the substantive charge at completion of prosecution.

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Attorney General, with reference to the Answer of 20 January 2023 to Question 125287 on Rape: Prosecutions, how many (a) completed prosecutions and (b) convictions there were for violent crime in each quarter from the start of January 2005 to the end of September 2015.

Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not have a formal definition for ‘violent crime’, but it does hold management information on its Case Management System showing the number of defendants allocated the Principal Offence Categories of either Homicide or Offences Against the Person at completion of prosecution. The Principal Offence Category indicates the most serious offence with which a defendant is charged.

The tables below show the number of completed prosecutions and convictions for Homicide and Offences Against the Person from the start of January 2005 to the end of September 2015. The data provided in the tables is in financial quarters.

‘Total completed prosecutions’ refer to the conclusion of a prosecution case against a defendant such as conviction after trial, guilty plea, acquittal, or the prosecution against the defendant being dropped. ‘Convictions’ refer to convictions after trial and guilty pleas.

Homicide

Offences against the person

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Attorney General, with reference to the Answer of 20 January 2023 to Question 125287 on Rape: Prosecutions, how many (a) completed prosecutions and (b) convictions there were for all crimes in each quarter from the start of January 2005 to the end of September 2015.

Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)

The table below shows the number of completed prosecutions and convictions for all crimes prosecuted by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) from the start of January 2005 to the end of September 2015. The data provided in the table is in financial quarters and has been drawn from the CPS’ Case Management System.

‘Total completed prosecutions’ refer to the conclusion of a prosecution case against a defendant such as conviction after trial, guilty plea, acquittal, or the prosecution against the defendant being dropped. ‘Convictions’ refer to convictions after trial and guilty pleas.

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Attorney General, what steps their Department is taking to support the Disability Confident scheme; how many officials in their Department work directly on supporting that scheme; what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of that work in supporting the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of disabled people in their Department; and what further steps they are taking to support their Department’s recruitment and retention of disabled people.

Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)

The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) receives its human resources shared service from the Government Legal Department (GLD). The GLD are signed up as Disability Confident and have progressed through the levels, achieving Disability Confident Leader (Level 3) status.

Please note that, excluding the GLD, I am responding on behalf of the AGO only, and not the departments superintended by myself and the Attorney General (the Crown Prosecution Service, HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate, and Serious Fraud Office).

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Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they received legal advice from the Attorney General prior to the Illegal Migration Act 2023 receiving Royal Assent which indicated that parts of the legislation would not apply in Northern Ireland.

Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The Government receives legal advice as appropriate, on all matters related to the passage of new legislation, as part of advice from officials.

Any legal advice received is subject to legal professional privilege and, as such, the Home Office does not comment on legal advice that may or may not have been sought or received.

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