Asked by: Jonathan Lord (Conservative - Woking)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, what steps she has taken to increase the number of prosecutions for domestic violence.
Answered by Edward Timpson
Tackling domestic abuse is an important priority for this government. Over 10,900 suspects were charged with DA offences in the last quarter with a conviction rate of over 75% and in the last 5 years, the number of coercive and controlling behaviour cases has increased from 5 to 1,403.
We have continued focus on tackling this heinous crime by introducing non- fatal strangulation offence as part of our landmark Domestic Abuse Act. Those who strangle their partners in an attempt to control or induce fear will face up to 5 years behind bars.
Asked by: Jonathan Lord (Conservative - Woking)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of steps taken by the Serious Fraud Office to increase the number of cases it prosecutes.
Answered by Edward Timpson
In its role as a specialist law enforcement agency tackling the top level of serious or complex fraud, bribery and corruption, the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) is prosecuting eight cases within the 2022-23 financial year. These involve more than 20 individuals, charged with criminality worth over £550m.
Given this specialist role, as well as the scale and complexity of the cases it takes on, the focus of the SFO is less on increasing the number of cases it takes on, but rather increasing its capacity through the use of technology, reducing manual errors and delivering this year’s trials effectively.
Driving this, the SFO received a funding uplift in the 2021 Spending Review which included £4.4m over three years to invest in technology. This will complement the wider work that it is doing to reduce case lengths and ensure the tools it uses to investigate and prosecute fraudsters match the evolving methods used by these criminals.
Asked by: Jonathan Lord (Conservative - Woking)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, what steps the Government is taking to increase the number of prosecutions for modern slavery.
Answered by Michael Ellis
The CPS has had considerable success in increasing prosecutions of modern slavery cases involving the exploitation of vulnerable people. The number of modern slavery prosecutions increased from 284 in 2017-18 to 322 in 2018-19, an increase of 13.4%.
These cases are handled by specialist units with prosecutors who have the training, expertise and experience to deal with this difficult casework.
The CPS prosecutes offenders following an investigation by law enforcement, and referral to the CPS for advice and prosecution. Early engagement between the prosecutors and investigators is therefore central to a successful prosecution in all these complex cases. Prosecutors work closely with law enforcement to build robust cases, and provide early investigative advice, with the aim of lessening or removing the need to rely solely upon the evidence of vulnerable victims.
The CPS works with international partners to disrupt modern slavery crimes, and to strengthen the prosecution response overseas. The CPS maintains an overseas network of Criminal Justice Advisors to improve mutual legal assistance and extradition co-operation and work with authorities in those countries to improve their local capability to counter serious crime affecting the UK.
Asked by: Jonathan Lord (Conservative - Woking)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, how many people have been (a) prosecuted for and (b) convicted of female genital mutilation or associated offences.
Answered by Jeremy Wright
Two people were prosecuted in February 2015 for an offence under section 1 of the Female Genital Mutilation Act 2003 and an offence of intentionally encouraging or assisting the commission of an offence, contrary to section 44(1) of the Serious Crime Act 2007. There have been no other prosecutions and no convictions for offences under the Act or other associated offences.