Oral Answers to Questions

Lauren Sullivan Excerpts

Tuesday 10th November 2026 Commons Chamber

[Alex Norris]

My hon. Friend touches on an important question for his community and the country more generally. For anybody—particularly pregnant women—to leave prison with security, they must have access to housing; that is the anchor. We are taking incredible steps forward in this place to ensure that everybody is offered somewhere to be from night one, and through our emergency accommodation, we can offer up to 84 days of support. There is much to do, particularly with pregnant women, to make sure that the other support systems then wrap around them, to give them the best possible chance of staying out of prison.

[Dr Lauren Sullivan (Gravesham) (Lab)]

2. What discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the handling of sexual offences committed by healthcare professionals in the criminal justice system.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice (Alex Davies-Jones)]

I thank my hon. Friend for asking that very important question. I want to reassure her, the House and anyone else who is listening that the Government take sexual offending extremely seriously, no matter who the perpetrator may be—a physician, a celebrity, or anyone else—and it must be dealt with appropriately by the criminal justice system. In our strategy to tackle violence against women and girls, we have committed to preventing these awful crimes, pursuing perpetrators and supporting the victims. We have signed up to this commitment across Government, and that includes the Health Secretary.

[Dr Sullivan]

My constituent Sarah Johnson showed remarkable courage in helping to convict a physiotherapist who sexually assaulted her and other women in his care. Her case raised serious questions about how a practitioner who was subject to regulatory restrictions and was later suspended from practice was able to remain employed by the NHS and in contact with patients. Will the Minister work with the Department of Health and Social Care to strengthen the regulations, so that those who are under investigation for sexual offences cannot continue to have contact with patients, and will she meet the survivors and me to discuss the matter further?

[Alex Davies-Jones]

I will gladly meet my hon. Friend and the survivors, and let me put on record my thanks to Sarah for her remarkable courage in coming forward to describe her horrific experience. We will of course continue to engage with colleagues across Government, particularly those in the Department of Health and Social Care, to ensure that anyone who abuses his or her position of trust and influence is held to account, and I look forward to meeting my hon. Friend and Sarah.