Asked by: Lord Dobbs (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, in each of the past five years, what was the average length of time in England and Wales for the police and Crown Prosecution Service to investigate allegations of (1) murder, and (2) rape, before a decision was made on whether to proceed with prosecution.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Home Office collects information on the time taken by the police in England and Wales to reach an investigative outcome for notifiable offences.
Below is a table showing the median number of days taken to assign a charge/summons outcome, from date recorded by the police, for rape and homicide offences, for each year from 2018/19 to year ending September 2023:
Financial Year | 2018/19 | 2019/20 | 2020/21 | 2021/22 | 2022/23 |
| YE Sept 2023 |
Homicide1,2,3 | 40 | 21 | 25 | 30 | 29 |
| 23 |
Rape offences1 | 381 | 395 | 465 | 467 | 421 |
| 426 |
Notes:
1. Only includes data for forces who send offence-level data to the Home Office Data Hub
2. The number of median days for Year ending September 2022 and Year ending September 2023 includes 37 territorial police forces. Excludes Devon and Cornwall, Humberside, West Midlands and Greater Manchester Police. The data for these forces was identified to have quality issues or the data was not provided at record level to the Home Office Data Hub in for the reporting period.
3. 2018/19 excludes the 97 homicides which were assigned a charge/summons outcome in relation to the Hillsborough disaster by South Yorkshire Police Force. When these are included, the median number of days taken to assign a charge for homicide was 115 days in 2018/19.
4. Data are shown to the nearest whole day.
Asked by: Lord Dobbs (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what length of time passed between the original incident or complaint, and the end of the final public inquiry or related prosecutions, in relation to (1) the Hillsborough stadium disaster, (2) the Rotherham child sexual exploitation scandal, (3) the Mull of Kintyre Chinook crash, (4) Operation Conifer, and (5) the Iraq Inquiry.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The Hillsborough stadium disaster occurred on 15 April 1989. Lord Justice Taylor published an interim report into the disaster in August 1989, and delivered his final report in January 1990. The Hillsborough Independent panel was instituted in 2009, and published its final report on 12 September 2012.
The independent inquiry into child exploitation was commissioned by Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council in October 2013. It covered the period between 1997 and 2013, and published its report in August 2014.
The Mull of Kintyre Chinook crash happened on 2 June 1994. The final inquiry into the crash published its findings in July 2011.
Operation Conifer, the police investigation into allegations made against the late Sir Edward Heath, began in August 2015, and published its findings in October 2017.
The Iraq Inquiry was announced in June 2009 to identify lessons that could be learned from the Iraq conflict. It considered the period between 2000 and July 2009, and published its report in July 2016.
Asked by: Lord Dobbs (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government, in each of the past five years in England and Wales, how many prosecutions were brought for rape and serious sexual assault; how many allegations of rape or serious sexual assault reported to police have not been taken to prosecution; and what percentage of prosecutions have resulted in conviction.
Answered by Lord Bellamy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
This government is committed to increasing the volumes of rape and serious sexual offence cases that reach court.
In 2019, we commissioned our end-to-end Rape Review to better understand the justice system’s response to adult rape. Published in 2021, our watershed report set stretching ambitions to return the volumes of adult rape cases being referred by the police, charged by the CPS, and reaching court back to 2016 levels by the end of this Parliament. In practice, this meant more than doubling the number of adult rape cases reaching court compared to when the Review was first commissioned, in 2019.
The latest data shows that we have exceeded each of these ambitions ahead of schedule. In July – September 2023, we recorded:
In addition, the number of people prosecuted for an adult rape offence went up by 54% in the last year (12 months to June), rising from 1,410 to 2,165. This is 32% higher than in 2010 (1,644).
But we are determined to build on these successes, and continue to make excellent progress in delivering our Rape Review Action Plan to support victims throughout the criminal justice system:
As far as possible, we have provided the requested data in Tables 1-3. Please note that each table contains data extracted from different administrative systems, and for different operational purposes. Whilst every effort has been made to answer the question and keep the data similar it is important to note that the data presented is complementary, rather than directly comparable. Below is a summary of each table and its contents, including a final Annex table (Table A1) which specifies how offences for rape and serious sexual assault have been captured.
Table 1 – Volume of defendants proceeded against for rape or ‘serious’ sexual assault offences, year ending June 2019 to year ending June 2023, England and Wales
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) publish the data set out in Table 1 in Criminal Justice System statistics quarterly: June 2023, in the Outcomes by Offence data tool (last updated 18 January 2024).
The MoJ tool contains data on the volume of convictions, but it is advised these are not used to calculate conviction rate (the number of convictions as a proportion of the number of prosecutions). This is due to the Court Proceedings Database counting two separate records at two separate stages (one for prosecution, one for conviction). An individual may appear at each court in separate years, or for a different principal offence at different stages. As a result, this rate is not an accurate measure of the proportion of prosecutions that result in a conviction and we recommend table 3 for that purpose.
Table 2 – Rape and ‘serious’ sexual offences (RASSO) recorded by the police that were not assigned a charge outcome, as a proportion of all RASSO cases closed each year, year ending June 2019 to year ending June 2023, England and Wales
The Home Office (HO) publish the data set out in Table 2 in the quarterly publication Open Data Tables, in the Outcomes Open Data files (last updated on 25 January 2024). It is important to note that the Home Office do not hold data on prosecutions, but publish data on recorded cases that do not receive a charge outcome, presented in Table 2.
Table 2b – Number of reported incidents of rape (excluding offences recorded by the police) and cancelled rape offences, year ending March 2019 to year ending March 2023, England and Wales
Since April 2015, the police have been expected to record all allegations of rape that are reported to them as soon as they are received, unless they are immediately recorded as a confirmed crime. These are recorded under the reported incidents classification. Reported incidents of rape are then either confirmed as a crime and re-classified accordingly (as recorded offences) or are retained in the police data as an incident. Table 2b shows a total of reported incidents that do not go on to be recorded as a crime, and cancelled rape offences. An incident does not go on to be recorded as a crime if the victim or third party reporting the incident cannot confirm it or cannot be traced, if credible evidence to the contrary exists, or if it is transferred to another police force. These data are published here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/652eaab16b6fbf000db75843/prc-rape-incidents-2016-2023.ods). Rape allegations are ‘cancelled’ when there is additional information to confirm the offence did not take place or where the entry is made in error (such as a duplicate of an existing allegation). Home Office can be contacted directly for further comment on these data.
Table 3 – Conviction rate for suspects with a rape flagged offence, year ending June 2019 to year ending June 2023, England and Wales
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) publish the data set out in Table 3 in CPS quarterly data summaries (last updated on 18 January 2024). Prosecution crime type data tables were used to extract conviction rates for rape flagged cases. Due to the nature of CPS systems, the conviction rate based on rape flags will include cases where the eventual outcome is different to the flagged offence of rape.
Table A1: Definition of rape and 'serious' sexual assault by organisation (MoJ, Home Office, Crown Prosecution Service)
This table sets out how rape and ‘serious’ sexual assault offences have been selected for each of the tables. The most substantial difference is between CPS and MoJ/Home Office data, as the CPS rely on the use of flags and do not record offences by detailed offence code in the same way as the MoJ/Home Office (meaning detailed offences would need to be extracted manually, and are not published). Home Office and MoJ offences broadly correspond but, due to differences in recording practices and operational uses some of the offences follow different description conventions.
Asked by: Lord Dobbs (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to identify the origins of Covid-19, other than by cooperating with the WHO; and what estimate they have made of the cost of that work.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The United Kingdom Government believes that an impartial scientific and expert group is best-placed to lead the review into the origins of COVID-19. As the only independent, technical health organisation with the mandate of 194 Member States, it is right that the investigation sits within the World Health Organization (WHO). WHO’s Scientific Advisory Group on Origins of Novel Pathogens (SAGO) is composed of experts acting in a personal capacity and therefore can provide independent technical and scientific advice on the origin and spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. The UK continues to support SAGO’s review, including through the provision of technical support via the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).
In light of COVID-19, the UK has strengthened our pandemic preparedness approach to ensure we are prepared for all possible pathways of disease emergence, we have conducted a thorough assessment across the breadth of our pandemic capabilities, including surveillance, diagnostics, contact tracing, clinical countermeasures, non-pharmaceutical interventions, technology, and data, which will allow us to protect the health of the UK population from the spread of infectious diseases.
Responsibility for leading on animal diseases resides with the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), an executive agency of the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. APHA leads on identifying and controlling zoonotic diseases including surveillance, scientific research, and food safety. UKHSA works closely with APHA to understand and control the risk new infectious diseases pose to health and society when they emerge.
The UK also seeks to ensure the highest possible controls over laboratory biosafety and security to mitigate any threat of research-related incidents in the UK. Biosafety inspection and enforcement is the responsibility of the Health and Safety Executive in Great Britain and the Health and Safety Executive Northern Ireland in Northern Ireland. The UK approach to biosafety is underpinned by a risk-based regulatory framework designed to facilitate the effective and proportionate management of the risks that exist at facilities where work is undertaken with dangerous pathogens.
We will also continue to use the UK’s international influence to encourage other countries to have appropriate laboratory biosafety. UKHSA staff attend the European Biosafety Association (EBSA) and the American Biosafety Association (ABSA) meetings, and are also members of the Biosafety Level 4 Zoonotic Laboratory Network (BSL4ZNET) and Global Health Security Initiative (GHSI) Lab Network. UKHSA staff regularly monitor developments to ensure UKHSA adopts the highest standards of biosafety and biosecurity.
Asked by: Lord Dobbs (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the recent finding of the United States Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee that the "Covid-19 pandemic was, more likely than not, the result of a research-related incident".
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Investigations into the origin of the COVID-19 pandemic are ongoing. The United Kingdom notes the latest reports from the United States Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee but is also aware of other studies that have reached different conclusions, for example that the likely source of COVID-19 was a natural spill over event from animals to humans. The global scientific community does not yet have sufficient data to determine conclusively where the virus originated. The UK is keeping the evidence under review and closely tracking the work of the independent investigations led by the Scientific Advisory Group on Origins of Novel Pathogens into the origins and spread of COVID-19.
Regardless of the origins of this pandemic, it is imperative that the UK seeks to ensure the highest possible controls over laboratory biosafety and security in order to mitigate any threat of research-related incidents in the UK. Biosafety inspection and enforcement is the responsibility of the Health and Safety Executive in Great Britain and the Health and Safety Executive Northern Ireland in Northern Ireland. The UK approach to biosafety is underpinned by a risk-based regulatory framework designed to facilitate the effective and proportionate management of the risks that exist at facilities where work is undertaken with dangerous pathogens.
We will also continue to use the UK’s international influence to encourage other countries to have appropriate laboratory biosafety. UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) staff attend the European Biosafety Association (EBSA) and the American Biosafety Association (ABSA) meetings, and are also members of the Biosafety Level 4 Zoonotic Laboratory Network (BSL4ZNET) and Global Health Security Initiative (GHSI) Lab Network. UKHSA staff regularly monitor developments to ensure UKHSA adopts the highest standards of biosafety and biosecurity.
Asked by: Lord Dobbs (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the total number of deaths in the UK to date attributed to COVID-19.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government records deaths attributed to COVID-19 in the following ways: deaths that have COVID-19 recorded on their death certificate/registration; and any death that occurs 28 days after a positive COVID-19 test.
As of 24 March, 223,396 deaths in the United Kingdom have had COVID-19 recorded on death certificates/registrations.
As of 17 April, 213,637 deaths have been recorded in the UK 28 days after a positive COVID-19 test.
These two measures serve different purposes. Death registrations are a reference for overall death toll from COVID-19 (along with excess mortality estimates) and the 28-day death measure is most useful as a rapid indicator of death following COVID-19 infection, with peak utility when a new variant emerges, or during a new wave which requires timely monitoring of severity for public health purposes.
Asked by: Lord Dobbs (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what has been the total cost to date of the COVID-19 vaccination programme.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The total cost to date of the COVID-19 vaccination programme is approximately £7.3 billion.
Asked by: Lord Dobbs (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the total cost to the economy to date of COVID-19-related lockdowns.
Answered by Baroness Penn - Minister on Leave (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State)
The Covid-19 pandemic has had a profound effect on the UK economy. Between 2019 Q4 and 2020 Q2, according to the Office for National Statistics the economy contracted by 23% - the steepest recession on record.
The success of the UK’s vaccination campaign lead to a strong recovery in GDP, with annual growth of 7.5% in 2021 and 4.1% in 2022. In both these years, GDP growth in the UK was the fastest in the G7.
The Government acted quickly to prevent catastrophic increases in unemployment during the pandemic. The Government provided up to £400 billion of direct support for the economy which helped to safeguard jobs, businesses and public services in every region and nation of the UK.
The Treasury is engaging constructively with the UK Covid-19 Inquiry, which plans to examine the Government’s responses to the pandemic.
Asked by: Lord Dobbs (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many prosecutions for making false rape allegations were brought in England and Wales in each of the last five years.
Answered by Lord Stewart of Dirleton - Advocate General for Scotland
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) holds no data showing the number of prosecutions for making false allegations of rape. The CPS has strict guidance for charging perverting the court of justice and wasting police time in cases involving allegedly false allegations of rape and/or domestic abuse. The guidance makes clear that prosecutions for these offences will be extremely rare and by their very nature they will be complex and require sensitive handling. |
Asked by: Lord Dobbs (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many rape allegations were made to the police in England and Wales in each of the last five years; and how many of those resulted in (1) prosecution, and (2) conviction.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.
A response to the Hon gentlemen Parliamentary Question of 22.03 is attached.
The Rt Hon. the Lord Dobbs
House of Lords
London
SW1A 0PW
30 March 2023
Dear Lord Dobbs,
As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your Parliamentary Question asking for the number of rape allegations made to the police in England and Wales for the last five years and how many of those resulted in (a) prosecution, and (b) conviction (HL6736). The two main sources of crime statistics are police recorded crime and the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW). The CSEW only provides estimates of the prevalence of crime and different crime types as experienced by victims, which may not always be reported to the police.
The most up to date figures we have published on rape offences recorded by the police can be found in Appendix table A4 [1], published as part of the Crime in England and Wales; year ending September 2022 [2] . This table provides police recorded rape offences back to 2002. Table 1 shows a subset of table A4 providing the number of rape offences back to the year ending March 2017.
Our most recent Sexual offences in England and Wales overview: year ending March 2022 [3] publication provides data on the number of rape incidents recorded by the police. These data are provided in Table 12 for the year ending March 2021 and Table 13 for the year ending March 2022 in the associated Sexual offences prevalence and victim characteristics [4] tables.
Unfortunately, we do not hold data on how these offences are treated by the criminal justice system. The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) are primarily responsible for court statistics so will hold information on prosecutions and convictions. They publish statistics [5] each quarter which might be of help to you. You can contact MoJ via email at ESD@justice.gov.uk. It may also be beneficial to contact the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) as they collate information on prosecution by crime type. You can contact them via Enquiries@cps.gov.uk.
Yours sincerely,
Professor Sir Ian Diamond
Table 1: Police recorded rape offences, year ending March 2017 to year ending September 2022 England and Wales
Offence | Apr 2016 to Mar 2017 | Apr 2017 to Mar 2018 | Apr 2018 to Mar 2019 | Apr 2019 to Mar 2020 | Apr 2020 to Mar 2021 | Apr 2021 to Mar 2022 | Oct 2020 to Sep 2021 | Oct 2021 to Sep 2022 |
Rape | 42,063 | 55,004 | 59,921 | 59,104 | 55,652 | 69,905 | 62,866 | 70,633 |
Source: Police recorded crime from the Home Office
[1] https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/datasets/crimeinenglandandwalesappendixtables
[2] https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/bulletins/crimeinenglandandwales/yearendingseptember2022
[3] https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/bulletins/sexualoffencesinenglandandwalesoverview/march2022
[4] https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/datasets/sexualoffencesprevalenceandvictimcharacteristicsenglandandwales
[5] https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/criminal-justice-statistics-quarterly