Oral Answers to Questions

Kelly Tolhurst Excerpts

Thursday 2nd July 2015 Commons Chamber

[Kelly Tolhurst (Rochester and Strood) (Con)]

4. What steps the Crown Prosecution Service has taken to improve the conviction rate for rape and domestic violence in the past two years.

[Suella Fernandes (Fareham) (Con)]

6. What steps the Crown Prosecution Service has taken to improve the conviction rate for rape and domestic violence in the past two years.

[The Attorney General (Jeremy Wright)]

Over the past two years, the Crown Prosecution Service has worked with the police to increase the number of referrals for rape and domestic abuse. As a result, the number of people prosecuted for those offences last year was the highest ever. However, more is being done to increase conviction rates, particularly in rape cases, through better training and specialisation among prosecutors and better presentation of cases to juries.

[Kelly Tolhurst]

What factors explain the variance in conviction rates for domestic violence and rape cases? Will the Attorney General join me on a visit to Kent to meet the excellent Crown Prosecution Service staff?

[The Attorney General]

I welcome my hon. Friend to her place. She is absolutely right that there is variance in the statistics, but it is worth noting that there is a difference between what used to happen to bring about those unsuccessful outcomes and what happens now. A large proportion of unsuccessful outcomes in these cases are the result of jury acquittals. The proportion that results from victim issues or discontinued cases is going down. It is important that we do what we can to help juries reach the right conclusion in each case. She will know that I have visited her constituency in the past, as have many hon. Friends. We rather hoped that she would be in a position to ask questions in this House as a result, and I am glad that she is. I will be happy to visit again.