Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure police forces have sufficient resources to investigate grooming gang offences.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
This Government is committed to strengthening local and national responses to child sexual exploitation and abuse, through the new national police operation in response to Baroness Casey’s Audit recommendations, which will identify inconsistencies in approach to investigating group based child sexual exploitation (including grooming gangs) and ensure identified best practice and lessons learnt are shared through guidance, including on the identification and protection of children at risk.
Additionally we continue to support existing investments to support policing to tackle this type of offending.
Central to these efforts is the Home Office-funded Child Sexual Exploitation Police Taskforce which provides practical, expert, on the ground support for all 43 forces in England and Wales. This includes identifying best practice and promoting it nationally to ensure any lessons learnt are shared widely, and providing specialist interventions where needed to support forces’ capabilities to identify and tackle group-based offending more effectively. The Home Office engages regularly with the Taskforce and policing leaders on this work which has victims and survivors at its heart.
The Home Office is also investing over £9 million this year in the Tackling Organised Exploitation Programme (TOEX), including an expedited rollout of its Capabilities Environment to ensure all police investigators in England and Wales have access to an array of AI-enabled and time-saving tools. This will increase law enforcement’s capability to respond to organised exploitation, including child sexual exploitation by providing dedicated intelligence, analytical and technical expertise.
The Department has regular discussions with policing on the identification and protection of children at risk, particularly in relation to the risk of sexual exploitation due to policing’s duties as a statutory safeguarding partner. This is particularly the case as reforms are implemented through the introduction of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill.
We are also working with the College of Policing and the National Centre for Violence Against Women and Girls and Public Protection to consider how forces’ most important resource can be bolstered – its officers. We continue to identify opportunities to strengthen officer training at all ranks to ensure the most effective and up-to-date methods to tackle child sexual exploitation and abuse are utilised.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that lessons learned from grooming gang cases are applied nationally.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
This Government is committed to strengthening local and national responses to child sexual exploitation and abuse, through the new national police operation in response to Baroness Casey’s Audit recommendations, which will identify inconsistencies in approach to investigating group based child sexual exploitation (including grooming gangs) and ensure identified best practice and lessons learnt are shared through guidance, including on the identification and protection of children at risk.
Additionally we continue to support existing investments to support policing to tackle this type of offending.
Central to these efforts is the Home Office-funded Child Sexual Exploitation Police Taskforce which provides practical, expert, on the ground support for all 43 forces in England and Wales. This includes identifying best practice and promoting it nationally to ensure any lessons learnt are shared widely, and providing specialist interventions where needed to support forces’ capabilities to identify and tackle group-based offending more effectively. The Home Office engages regularly with the Taskforce and policing leaders on this work which has victims and survivors at its heart.
The Home Office is also investing over £9 million this year in the Tackling Organised Exploitation Programme (TOEX), including an expedited rollout of its Capabilities Environment to ensure all police investigators in England and Wales have access to an array of AI-enabled and time-saving tools. This will increase law enforcement’s capability to respond to organised exploitation, including child sexual exploitation by providing dedicated intelligence, analytical and technical expertise.
The Department has regular discussions with policing on the identification and protection of children at risk, particularly in relation to the risk of sexual exploitation due to policing’s duties as a statutory safeguarding partner. This is particularly the case as reforms are implemented through the introduction of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill.
We are also working with the College of Policing and the National Centre for Violence Against Women and Girls and Public Protection to consider how forces’ most important resource can be bolstered – its officers. We continue to identify opportunities to strengthen officer training at all ranks to ensure the most effective and up-to-date methods to tackle child sexual exploitation and abuse are utilised.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions her Department has had with police forces on improving the (a) identification and (b) protection of children at risk of sexual exploitation.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
This Government is committed to strengthening local and national responses to child sexual exploitation and abuse, through the new national police operation in response to Baroness Casey’s Audit recommendations, which will identify inconsistencies in approach to investigating group based child sexual exploitation (including grooming gangs) and ensure identified best practice and lessons learnt are shared through guidance, including on the identification and protection of children at risk.
Additionally we continue to support existing investments to support policing to tackle this type of offending.
Central to these efforts is the Home Office-funded Child Sexual Exploitation Police Taskforce which provides practical, expert, on the ground support for all 43 forces in England and Wales. This includes identifying best practice and promoting it nationally to ensure any lessons learnt are shared widely, and providing specialist interventions where needed to support forces’ capabilities to identify and tackle group-based offending more effectively. The Home Office engages regularly with the Taskforce and policing leaders on this work which has victims and survivors at its heart.
The Home Office is also investing over £9 million this year in the Tackling Organised Exploitation Programme (TOEX), including an expedited rollout of its Capabilities Environment to ensure all police investigators in England and Wales have access to an array of AI-enabled and time-saving tools. This will increase law enforcement’s capability to respond to organised exploitation, including child sexual exploitation by providing dedicated intelligence, analytical and technical expertise.
The Department has regular discussions with policing on the identification and protection of children at risk, particularly in relation to the risk of sexual exploitation due to policing’s duties as a statutory safeguarding partner. This is particularly the case as reforms are implemented through the introduction of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill.
We are also working with the College of Policing and the National Centre for Violence Against Women and Girls and Public Protection to consider how forces’ most important resource can be bolstered – its officers. We continue to identify opportunities to strengthen officer training at all ranks to ensure the most effective and up-to-date methods to tackle child sexual exploitation and abuse are utilised.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase access to care in the community.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Neighbourhood Health Service will increase access to care in the community and will embody our new preventative principle that care should happen as locally as it can, digitally by default, in a person’s home if possible, in a neighbourhood health centre when needed, and only in a hospital if necessary.
This will be achieved by increasing capacity in primary and community care settings. We are committed to ensuring that there is a higher growth in investment in primary and community services than in hospitals, and to making the most of local community assets.
Neighbourhood health centres will provide easier, more convenient access to a full range of health and care services on people’s doorsteps, joining up the National Health Service and local authority and voluntary sector services as a one-stop shop. Rollout will be progressive over this Parliament, with early sites focussing on the areas of greatest need.
Neighbourhood health services will bring together teams of professionals closer to people’s home, including nurses, doctors, social care workers, pharmacists, health visitors, and more, to work together to provide comprehensive care in the community.
Through the National Neighbourhood Health Implementation Programme, we are supporting 43 areas across England to drive innovation and integration locally, accelerating improvements in outcomes, satisfaction, and experiences by ensuring care is more joined-up, accessible, and responsive to community needs.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Solicitor General, what steps her Department is taking to improve prosecution rates for grooming gang offences.
Answered by Ellie Reeves - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
This Government is committed to tackling all forms of child sexual abuse and exploitation, including grooming gangs, by stamping out these abhorrent crimes and bringing perpetrators to justice.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) will always prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children whenever its legal test is met, regardless of how much time has passed since the offending took place.
Between 2021/22 and 2024/25, the CPS has seen a 25% increase in prosecutions for child sexual abuse. These efforts have been grounded in a commitment to safeguarding victims and holding offenders to account. CPS prosecutors who deal with contact child sexual abuse cases receive specialist training which emphasises a trauma-informed and suspect-focused approach to decision-making.
The CPS has a dedicated national Organised Child Sexual Abuse Unit (OCSAU) with highly experienced prosecutors leading on the most complex and high-risk cases of child sexual abuse, including those involving grooming gangs. As of June 2025, OCSAU has secured 85 convictions, with a conviction rate of 82.5%. This includes convictions arising from Operation Stovewood, which is the investigation into child sexual exploitation in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013. Each single prosecution represents justice for multiple victims.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that victims of grooming gangs have timely access to (a) justice and (b) compensation.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
This Government recognises the profound harm caused by grooming gangs and is committed to ensuring that victims receive justice, support and redress through a robust and victim centred justice system that brings all perpetrators of this heinous crime before the courts.
My Department continues to assess and improve court processes to ensure they are effective and responsive in all cases, including those involving grooming gangs. Where possible, judges prioritise serious sexual offences, and cases involving vulnerable complainants and witnesses. HMCTS staff support the delivering of fair and efficient hearings, with special measures available to vulnerable and intimidated witnesses. Recent reforms include new powers to compel offenders to attend sentencing hearings and enhanced training across the justice system to ensure victims are treated with fairness and dignity.
The Government acknowledges the impact of delays in the justice system on victims, and Sir Brian Leverson continues to lead a comprehensive review of the criminal courts to deliver swifter justice. In the meantime, we have increased funding to ensure Crown Courts operate at their highest capacity in nearly a decade, 110,000 sitting days, and doubled magistrates’ sentencing powers.
Victims are supported through Independent Sexual Violence Advisers (ISVAs) during court proceedings. Also, the Ministry of Justice funds the CSA Centre to develop evidence-based training and resources to professionals across the voluntary statutory sector workforce, as well as continuing to invest in specialist support services via the Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Fund that awards ringfenced grants to Police and Crime Commissioners. Additionally, the Home Office has invested £1.6 million in the Support for Victims and Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse Fund and an extra £1.6 million for national services for adult victims.
To support victims in seeking redress, we are removing the three-year limitation period for civil claims in cases of child sexual abuse. The Government is also working to improve awareness of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme through campaigns and consultations.
Parliament has legislated for robust custodial sentences for child sex offences, though sentencing decisions are made by independent courts. Recognising the severity of grooming, the Government has introduced legislation through the Crime and Policing Bill to make grooming an aggravating factor in sentencing for child sexual offences, ensuring this behaviour is appropriately reflected in sentencing outcomes.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of sentencing outcomes in grooming gang cases.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
This Government recognises the profound harm caused by grooming gangs and is committed to ensuring that victims receive justice, support and redress through a robust and victim centred justice system that brings all perpetrators of this heinous crime before the courts.
My Department continues to assess and improve court processes to ensure they are effective and responsive in all cases, including those involving grooming gangs. Where possible, judges prioritise serious sexual offences, and cases involving vulnerable complainants and witnesses. HMCTS staff support the delivering of fair and efficient hearings, with special measures available to vulnerable and intimidated witnesses. Recent reforms include new powers to compel offenders to attend sentencing hearings and enhanced training across the justice system to ensure victims are treated with fairness and dignity.
The Government acknowledges the impact of delays in the justice system on victims, and Sir Brian Leverson continues to lead a comprehensive review of the criminal courts to deliver swifter justice. In the meantime, we have increased funding to ensure Crown Courts operate at their highest capacity in nearly a decade, 110,000 sitting days, and doubled magistrates’ sentencing powers.
Victims are supported through Independent Sexual Violence Advisers (ISVAs) during court proceedings. Also, the Ministry of Justice funds the CSA Centre to develop evidence-based training and resources to professionals across the voluntary statutory sector workforce, as well as continuing to invest in specialist support services via the Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Fund that awards ringfenced grants to Police and Crime Commissioners. Additionally, the Home Office has invested £1.6 million in the Support for Victims and Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse Fund and an extra £1.6 million for national services for adult victims.
To support victims in seeking redress, we are removing the three-year limitation period for civil claims in cases of child sexual abuse. The Government is also working to improve awareness of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme through campaigns and consultations.
Parliament has legislated for robust custodial sentences for child sex offences, though sentencing decisions are made by independent courts. Recognising the severity of grooming, the Government has introduced legislation through the Crime and Policing Bill to make grooming an aggravating factor in sentencing for child sexual offences, ensuring this behaviour is appropriately reflected in sentencing outcomes.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of court processes for handling grooming gang cases.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
This Government recognises the profound harm caused by grooming gangs and is committed to ensuring that victims receive justice, support and redress through a robust and victim centred justice system that brings all perpetrators of this heinous crime before the courts.
My Department continues to assess and improve court processes to ensure they are effective and responsive in all cases, including those involving grooming gangs. Where possible, judges prioritise serious sexual offences, and cases involving vulnerable complainants and witnesses. HMCTS staff support the delivering of fair and efficient hearings, with special measures available to vulnerable and intimidated witnesses. Recent reforms include new powers to compel offenders to attend sentencing hearings and enhanced training across the justice system to ensure victims are treated with fairness and dignity.
The Government acknowledges the impact of delays in the justice system on victims, and Sir Brian Leverson continues to lead a comprehensive review of the criminal courts to deliver swifter justice. In the meantime, we have increased funding to ensure Crown Courts operate at their highest capacity in nearly a decade, 110,000 sitting days, and doubled magistrates’ sentencing powers.
Victims are supported through Independent Sexual Violence Advisers (ISVAs) during court proceedings. Also, the Ministry of Justice funds the CSA Centre to develop evidence-based training and resources to professionals across the voluntary statutory sector workforce, as well as continuing to invest in specialist support services via the Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Fund that awards ringfenced grants to Police and Crime Commissioners. Additionally, the Home Office has invested £1.6 million in the Support for Victims and Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse Fund and an extra £1.6 million for national services for adult victims.
To support victims in seeking redress, we are removing the three-year limitation period for civil claims in cases of child sexual abuse. The Government is also working to improve awareness of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme through campaigns and consultations.
Parliament has legislated for robust custodial sentences for child sex offences, though sentencing decisions are made by independent courts. Recognising the severity of grooming, the Government has introduced legislation through the Crime and Policing Bill to make grooming an aggravating factor in sentencing for child sexual offences, ensuring this behaviour is appropriately reflected in sentencing outcomes.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to support victims of grooming gangs throughout the criminal justice process.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
This Government recognises the profound harm caused by grooming gangs and is committed to ensuring that victims receive justice, support and redress through a robust and victim centred justice system that brings all perpetrators of this heinous crime before the courts.
My Department continues to assess and improve court processes to ensure they are effective and responsive in all cases, including those involving grooming gangs. Where possible, judges prioritise serious sexual offences, and cases involving vulnerable complainants and witnesses. HMCTS staff support the delivering of fair and efficient hearings, with special measures available to vulnerable and intimidated witnesses. Recent reforms include new powers to compel offenders to attend sentencing hearings and enhanced training across the justice system to ensure victims are treated with fairness and dignity.
The Government acknowledges the impact of delays in the justice system on victims, and Sir Brian Leverson continues to lead a comprehensive review of the criminal courts to deliver swifter justice. In the meantime, we have increased funding to ensure Crown Courts operate at their highest capacity in nearly a decade, 110,000 sitting days, and doubled magistrates’ sentencing powers.
Victims are supported through Independent Sexual Violence Advisers (ISVAs) during court proceedings. Also, the Ministry of Justice funds the CSA Centre to develop evidence-based training and resources to professionals across the voluntary statutory sector workforce, as well as continuing to invest in specialist support services via the Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Fund that awards ringfenced grants to Police and Crime Commissioners. Additionally, the Home Office has invested £1.6 million in the Support for Victims and Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse Fund and an extra £1.6 million for national services for adult victims.
To support victims in seeking redress, we are removing the three-year limitation period for civil claims in cases of child sexual abuse. The Government is also working to improve awareness of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme through campaigns and consultations.
Parliament has legislated for robust custodial sentences for child sex offences, though sentencing decisions are made by independent courts. Recognising the severity of grooming, the Government has introduced legislation through the Crime and Policing Bill to make grooming an aggravating factor in sentencing for child sexual offences, ensuring this behaviour is appropriately reflected in sentencing outcomes.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve cancer outcomes.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are committed to transforming cancer services. The National Cancer Plan will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients, as well as speeding up diagnosis and treatment, ensuring patients have access to the latest treatments and technology, and improving this country’s cancer survival rates. Having consulted with key stakeholders and patient groups, I confirm that the plan will be published early in the new year.
We will support the National Health Service to increase capacity to meet the demand for diagnostic services through investment in new magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography scanners. We have already invested £70 million in new radiotherapy machines. The Government is investing an extra £26 billion in the NHS and is opening up community diagnostic centres at evening and weekends, to help catch cancer earlier.
Furthermore, NHS England has completed the national roll-out of non-specific symptom pathways to support faster diagnosis of cancer in patients who present with symptoms that do not align with a single cancer site.
The NHS has exceeded its pledge to deliver an extra two million appointments, having now delivered over five million more appointments as the first step to ensuring earlier and faster access to treatment.
Additionally, reducing inequalities is a key priority for the National Cancer Plan, which will look at the targeted improvements needed across different cancer types to reduce disparities in cancer survival. This includes looking at protected characteristics, such as ethnicity, as well as inequalities related to socioeconomic status, and geographic location.