Asked by: Lord Beecham (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what action, if any, they have taken in response to the failure of the Crown Prosecution Service to share the findings of its internal review into unprosecuted rape cases with the HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate Rape Inspection 2019.
Answered by Lord Keen of Elie
The scope and data set for the HMCPSI inspection was much broader than CPS’ internal report. It therefore would not have been appropriate to share the report itself while the inspection was ongoing. The report subsequently was shared with both the inspectorate and the Attorney General’s Office in January.
I am pleased that the CPS has already accepted all recommendations made in HMCPSI’s Rape Inspection 2019 report and remains a partner in the ongoing cross-Government rape review. This will provide valuable insight into this complex area across the whole criminal justice system, and the CPS is committed to addressing any issues the review highlights openly and honestly.
Asked by: Lord Beecham (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of cases in which the Crown Prosecution Service’s (CPS's) decisions not to initiate prosecutions in cases of domestic violence have been successfully challenged, whether they will commission an inquiry into the policy and practice of the CPS in relation to that issue.
Answered by Lord Keen of Elie
Victims of domestic abuse can challenge a CPS decision not to prosecute their case, under the Victims’ Right to Review (VRR) scheme. In 2015-16, the CPS made 41,503 decisions in domestic abuse cases. 520 of these cases were appealed through the VRR scheme; 49 of which were upheld. Of the total number of domestic abuse decisions, the upheld rate was 0.12%. Of the number of domestic abuse VRR appeals, the upheld rate was 9.4%. An inquiry is not required because these volumes and proportions are small and the CPS is, in the majority of domestic abuse cases, accurate in its decision making.