Asked by: Baroness Uddin (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to put in place a protocol with police, local authorities, and other emergency services, to respond to acid attacks.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
We are working closely with the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead on the scale and nature of attacks with acid and other corrosive substances and how to respond to such attacks.
Asked by: Baroness Uddin (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they intend to respond to the recent figures released by the Office for National Statistics, which recorded over 29,000 rape cases in the year ending March 2015; and what support is being provided through statutory and voluntary organisations to provide counselling to support the victims and survivors.
Answered by Lord Bates
The Government has continued its funding commitment until March 2016 to provide support to victims and survivors of rape. This includes £1.72 million to part fund 87 Independent Sexual Violence Adviser posts and £4.4million to fund rape support centres across England and Wales. Reporting of sexual violence is going up and specialised support services to victims and child sexual abuse are experiencing increased demand on their services. In recognition of this, the Home Office and Ministry of Justice announced an additional £7 million in 2014/15 and 2015/16 for non-statutory organisations providing these services as follows:
• £2.15 million as extra funding for 84 existing Rape Support Centres;
• £2 million for a Child Abuse Inquiry Support Fund to better support survivors coming forward as a direct result of the announcement of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse; and
• £2.85 million for a Child and Adult Victims of Sexual Abuse Support Fund to help non-statutory organisations providing support across England and Wales meet the increased demand on those services.
Asked by: Baroness Uddin (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the latest data from the Crime Survey for England and Wales, and the statistics on the number of incidents of revenge porn recently released in response to a Freedom of Information Act 2000 request, what steps they are taking to ensure that police forces are adequately resourced, and officers adequately trained, to respond to the victims and survivors of sex crimes.
Answered by Lord Bates
Resourcing the response to any type of crime is an operational matter for chief officers. The Government continues to support improvements to the criminal justice system’s response to victims of sexual violence, including the introduction of a new offence to criminalise revenge pornography in the Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015. Alongside this, the Government has also carried out a campaign to raise public awareness of the issue and has established a Revenge Porn Helpline, offering details of free legal advice and liaising with law enforcement and media companies to remove content where possible.
Police recorded crime figures show more victims of sexual violence have the confidence to come forward, and the number of prosecutions and convictions for rape are at their highest levels.
Asked by: Baroness Uddin (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans police and crime commissioners have to ensure that they have appropriately trained staff to support people with autism spectrum disorder.
Answered by Lord Bates
Staffing and training matters relating to the offices of Police and Crime Commissioners are a matter for them locally as an employer. More broadly Police and Crime Commissioners are accountable to the public they serve and set out their priorities in their local police and crime plans. Many have made clear their commitment, through these plans and their other public work, to supporting vulnerable individuals, including those with mental health problems, learning, or other disabilities.
All police officers receive training on a range of mental health and related issues, including awareness of autism spectrum disorder.