Asked by: Caroline Ansell (Conservative - Eastbourne)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask to the Secretary of State for Justice, what progress he has made on the objective of ensuring the number of rape cases being referred by the police and going to court is on track to be at the level reached in 2016 by the end of the Parliament; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
In June 2021, we published the End-to-End Rape Review Report and Action Plan. During that review, we took a hard and honest look at how the entire criminal justice system deals with rape and in too many instances it simply has not been good enough. We apologised at the time for this and committed to delivering real improvements to transform support for victims, and working with the police and the CPS to more than double the number of adult rape cases being charged and reaching court by the end of this Parliament.
Since June 2021, we have made significant progress in delivering actions to change the system for the better. Whilst the majority of actions are on track and have been delivered in the timescales we intended, there is much work still to do to ensure that the actions are having the impact they need to.
We are committed to going further and pushing harder on our actions so that we can drive bigger impacts, deliver wider system change and crucially, deliver justice for victims of rape and sexual abuse. We are:
These actions are starting to have an impact on the system, though there is still more progress to be made:
The average number of days for adult rape from CPS charge to the case being completed continued to fall by 38 days – roughly 5 weeks - since the peak in June 2021 – down from 457 days to 419 in October - December 2021.
Asked by: Caroline Ansell (Conservative - Eastbourne)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
What steps his Department is taking to support victims of domestic abuse.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
Domestic abuse is a top priority across Government, and we are determined to transform the response to this abhorrent crime.
We passed our landmark Domestic Abuse Bill on 29 April and our forthcoming Victims’ Bill will further transform victims’ experience of the criminal justice system and we have provided unprecedented funding for domestic abuse since the pandemic began, including £51m boost for specialist support services to support victims through the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.
Asked by: Caroline Ansell (Conservative - Eastbourne)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what training his Department has provided to staff on the family test; what other steps he has taken to raise awareness of the family test among staff of his Department; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
This department has liaised directly with DWP for advice and guidance on applying the Family Test in policy development. Policymakers in this department have been encouraged to attend Family test training on applying the Test and have been made aware of best practice.
Asked by: Caroline Ansell (Conservative - Eastbourne)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what account he has taken of accessibility of digital services for people who do not have access to the internet when considering potential court closures as part of proposals on the provision of the court and tribunal estate; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Shailesh Vara
An impact assessment was published alongside the consultation document. An updated impact assessment will be published with the consultation response, which will assess any further impacts identified from the responses received.
Asked by: Caroline Ansell (Conservative - Eastbourne)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the effect of the family test on his Department's policies; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
The Family Test was introduced in October 2014 and can be located at the following link Family Test Guidance
The Family Test is part of the policy making process and is applied in a proportionate way in the development of new policy in line with the guidance. Potential impacts of policy on family functioning and relationships are identified and brought to the attention of Ministers where appropriate.
There is no requirement to publish the Family Test assessments. The Ministry of Justice does not collect information on the number of full Family Test assessments completed.
Asked by: Caroline Ansell (Conservative - Eastbourne)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an assessment of potential risks associated with vulnerable witnesses and defendants travelling by public transport when considering potential court closures as part of proposals on the future of the court and tribunal estate; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Shailesh Vara
To ensure that access to justice is maintained, we are committed to providing alternative ways for users to access our services. This includes the use of other civic buildings and extending video conferencing facilities. This will further reduce the need for vulnerable victims and witnesses to travel to attend court.
Asked by: Caroline Ansell (Conservative - Eastbourne)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential opportunities to enhance local services on pre-existing estates by co-locating services as part of proposals on the provision of the court and tribunal estate; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Shailesh Vara
The consultation on the provision of court and tribunal services in England and Wales included details of plans to integrate services in 31 existing court buildings. The court estate is kept under review and any further opportunities to integrate services will be carefully considered.
Asked by: Caroline Ansell (Conservative - Eastbourne)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 9 October 2015 to Question 10800, when the potential closures of courts will be announced; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Shailesh Vara
HM Courts & Tribunals Service is currently in the process of assessing all responses to the consultation and I expect to announce the outcome of the consultation in due course.
Asked by: Caroline Ansell (Conservative - Eastbourne)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what funding his Department has available for potential replacement premises and technologies in the light of the proposed closures of court and tribunal estates set out in his Department's recent consultation.
Answered by Shailesh Vara
No decisions have been made regarding the proposed closures.