Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Attorney General, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the amount of time taken by the Crown Prosecution Service to reach charging decisions in domestic abuse cases.

Answered by Andy Slaughter - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)

Tackling domestic abuse is a top priority for the government under our commitment to halve violence against women and girls.

Domestic abuse flagged charging decisions continue to have shorter timeframes than those for crime overall. In 2025/26, the mean average time from referral to charge in domestic abuse flagged cases was 25 days, compared with 44 days across all crime types. The median time from referral to charge was one day, indicating that many charging decisions were made shortly after referral to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). In addition, 74.9% of charging consultations in domestic abuse flagged cases were completed within 28 days, higher than the 71.7% recorded across crime overall.

The CPS continues to work with criminal justice partners to improve the timeliness of charging decisions, particularly in more complex cases where further evidence may be required before a charging decision can be made. Through the CPS and National Police Chiefs’ (NPCC) Council Domestic Abuse Joint Justice Plan, the CPS is working closely with policing partners through the Pathfinder Programme to strengthen early collaboration between police and prosecutors, improve case quality, and support more timely progression from investigation to charging decision.

Alongside this, the CPS, NPCC and Home Office are currently piloting the Charging Authority Project across England and Wales, enabling the police to charge in select domestic abuse cases and forming part of wider efforts across the criminal justice system to reduce delays and improve the handling of cases. This initiative is being piloted in two CPS Areas, with plans for expansion currently being considered.

These charging initiatives form part of the CPS's objective to strengthen the handling of domestic abuse cases and deliver effective charging decisions, helping victims to access justice sooner while ensuring offenders are held to account.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the time taken for domestic abuse cases to reach a court hearing on the number of victims withdrawing support for a prosecution before trial.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

Delays in the criminal justice system can have a significant impact on victims of domestic abuse. This Government is taking decisive action to revive our criminal court system to reduce delays and the impact they have on all victims, including those involved in domestic abuse.

We are investing heavily in Crown Court capacity, court infrastructure, uncapped sitting days, technology and legal aid. We are driving greater efficiency in the courts through measures such as responsible AI innovation, case coordinators for every Crown Court centre, and close collaboration with the judiciary on their reforms to listing practices and virtual hearings guidance.

We have also brought forward structural reforms via the Courts and Tribunals Bill which is currently before Parliament. Measures in the Bill are designed ease pressure on the Crown Court, ensure proportionate allocation of resource, and redress the balance between victims and defendants. These measures make a commitment to reduce the Crown Court backlog and get victims their day in court more quickly.

Alongside wider support measures, pre-recorded cross-examination (section 28) can help reduce the impact of delays by enabling victims to give evidence earlier. The Ministry of Justice’s 2025 section 28 impact evaluation found that, between January 2019 and September 2022, the measure reduced the time between an alleged offence and cross-examination by around five months.

We are separately committed to improving the criminal court response to domestic abuse and as recommended by the Independent Sentencing Review. This includes looking at how to expand the use of Specialist Domestic Abuse Courts to achieve better outcomes for victims.

Furthermore, the Government is committed to ensuring all victims have access to the information and support they need to navigate the criminal justice system. The Ministry of Justice is supporting victims with the largest ever investment of over £550 million in victim support services over the next three years. This includes Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) to commission local victim support services for all victims of crime, based on their assessment of local need, including those affected by domestic abuse.