Oral Answers to Questions

Jas Athwal Excerpts

Thursday 13th November 2025 Commons Chamber

[Shockat Adam (Leicester South) (Ind)]

3. What steps she has taken with the Crown Prosecution Service to support victims of crime.

[Jas Athwal (Ilford South) (Lab)]

7. What steps she is taking with the Crown Prosecution Service to support the experience of victims in the criminal justice system.

[The Solicitor General]

This Government place the experience of victims at the very heart of the justice system and are determined to restore their faith in the system. I want to acknowledge the sad passing of Baroness Newlove, who worked tirelessly for victims. Through its victim transformation programme, the CPS is reshaping its service to victims. I recently visited a rape and serious sexual offences—RASSO—unit in the west midlands and heard first hand about the work that victim liaison officers do to offer crucial support. I am pleased that the service is now being piloted to victims of domestic abuse as well.

--- Later in debate ---

[Jas Athwal]

I welcome the Government’s ambitious mission to reduce violence against women and girls. Many survivors who experience sexual assault will never go to the police or press charges due to appallingly low conviction rates and fears of being retraumatised during court proceedings. Given the alarming statistic that one in four women over the age of 16 have been sexually assaulted, what steps are the Government taking to make reporting and pressing charges a more realistic prospect for survivors?

[The Solicitor General]

This Government are committed to halving violence against women and girls, and that is my No. 1 priority as Solicitor General. The barriers that victims of rape and serious sexual violence face in this country are unacceptable, and the CPS is committed to improving its performance. These efforts are beginning to have an impact. Referral volumes for adult rape are on a sustained upward trend, and in the last quarter conviction volumes were at their highest level since 2016.

Oral Answers to Questions

Jas Athwal Excerpts

Thursday 19th December 2024 Commons Chamber

[David Taylor (Hemel Hempstead) (Lab)]

1. What recent discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on prosecuting knife offences.

[Jas Athwal (Ilford South) (Lab)]

4. What recent discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on prosecuting knife offences.

[Sarah Coombes (West Bromwich) (Lab)]

7. What recent discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on prosecuting knife offences.

--- Later in debate ---

[The Solicitor General]

My hon. Friend is absolutely right to raise this important matter. Knife-enabled robberies surged under the previous Government, which is why the Home Secretary has made tackling these offences an urgent priority. Enforcement is key, and that is why we are putting police back on the beat with a named officer for every neighbourhood.

[Jas Athwal]

I commend the Government for acting swiftly to ban ninja swords, seize zombie-style knives and crack down on the illegal online sale of these weapons. It will reassure communities such as mine in Ilford South, which sadly knows all too well the deadly effect of these weapons, with a number of heinous attacks this year where teenagers lost their lives. What are the Government doing to support the victims of knife crime and their families?

[The Solicitor General]

My hon. Friend makes a powerful point. Many of our constituents will have gone through the same pain as his. That is why we are taking strong action on knife crime, banning lethal weapons and working to ensure that dangerous blades do not end up in the wrong hands. This September, it became illegal to possess zombie-style knives and machetes, and we are bringing forward legislation to ban the ninja swords to which he refers.