Oral Answers to Questions

Pam Cox Excerpts

Thursday 13th November 2025 Commons Chamber

[Emma Reynolds]

I thank my hon. Friend for his doughty campaigning on this issue. We are already taking forward secondary legislation to ban plastic wet wipes, which are a major source of pollution in our waterways. As I have said previously, this Government are taking decisive action to clean up our rivers, lakes and seas. We will publish a White Paper later this year, putting forward proposals for fundamental reform of our water system, so that it delivers better outcomes for consumers and the environment.

[Pam Cox (Colchester) (Lab)]

T1. If she will make a statement on her departmental responsibilities.

[The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Emma Reynolds)]

I am delighted to lead the first all-woman ministerial team in a UK Department of State. My focus as the new Secretary of State is delivering the Government’s No. 1 mission of economic growth, while restoring our natural environment. I have four big priorities: cleaning up our rivers, lakes and seas; backing British farmers and our food industry; restoring nature; and delivering a sanitary and phytosanitary deal with the EU.

[Pam Cox]

Today I am hosting pupils from Colchester academy in Greenstead in my constituency. They and their families want a clean River Colne. Will the Secretary of State set out what the Government are doing to hold Anglian Water to account, and whether she is seeing an improvement in its performance?

[Emma Reynolds]

I thank my hon. Friend for campaigning on these issues. We have already banned bonuses in six water companies, including Anglian Water, as she will know, for not meeting our high standards. That is a powerful incentive for companies to deliver immediate improvements and rebuild public trust. Together, I hope that we can rebuild public trust in our water system for generations to come.

--- Later in debate ---

[The Solicitor General]

I answered an urgent question in this House a few weeks ago on the China case, which I expect the right hon. Gentleman is referring to. The Government have already made it clear that they are deeply disappointed in the outcome of that case. As has already been confirmed by the CPS and senior Treasury counsel, the decision to offer no evidence in the case was made by the CPS without political influence, including from me or any other Law Officer. As the Attorney General has outlined in some detail in evidence he gave in a recent Committee hearing, where a case can no longer proceed because of evidential reasons, as happened in this case, the requirement is that the CPS informs the Attorney General of the decision as soon as it is taken.

[Pam Cox (Colchester) (Lab)]

Victims in the criminal justice system deserve to be kept fully informed of developments in their case. Can the Solicitor General set out how she is working with the Crown Prosecution Service to improve those communications for victims? I note again the very valuable work in this space of Baroness Newlove, the former Victims’ Commissioner.

[The Solicitor General]

The issue of support for victims is particularly fresh in my mind, as I visited one of the CPS’s rape and serious sexual offences units in the west midlands just a few weeks ago. I heard at first hand about the important work that victim liaison officers in the CPS are doing to support victims through their experience of the criminal justice system—on which I have pressed the CPS. It is ensuring that its communications with victims are of the highest possible standard—that letters have empathy and are the best that they possibly can be. I will continue to monitor that closely.

Oral Answers to Questions

Pam Cox Excerpts

Thursday 4th September 2025 Commons Chamber

[Mr Bayo Alaba (Southend East and Rochford) (Lab)]

4. What steps she has taken with the Crown Prosecution Service to support victims of crime.

[Pam Cox (Colchester) (Lab)]

7. What steps she has taken with the Crown Prosecution Service to support victims of crime. [R]

[The Solicitor General]

This Government are committed to restoring confidence in the criminal justice system, which means ensuring that victims of crime are properly supported through the justice process. The CPS is taking a range of measures to better support victims, including by offering pre-trial meetings to adult victims of rape and serious sexual assault, recruiting victim liaison officers to act as a consistent point of contact for victims, and delivering the groundbreaking victim transformation programme.

[The Solicitor General]

My hon. Friend rightly highlights the necessary and important action that this Government are taking to address the crisis in our courts. Alongside that, the CPS is using every tool at its disposal to reduce the backlog, including by trialling new initiatives to expedite domestic abuse trials and weekly listing meetings with partners in the criminal justice system.

[Pam Cox]

I recently visited a Colchester organisation, the Centre for Action on Rape and Abuse, or CARA, which offers vital support to victims of rape and sexual abuse. Will the Solicitor General reaffirm the Government’s commitment to supporting such organisations, which carry out so much of that vital frontline work, and will she reiterate what she is doing to enhance the number of rape trials that actually proceed?

[The Solicitor General]

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for raising the important role that organisations such as CARA play in supporting victims of rape and serious sexual violence. Supporting victims throughout the criminal justice process is a priority for this Government, and we are taking a range of measures to do just that, including implementing Raneem’s law to embed dedicated domestic abuse teams within 999 control rooms and introducing free independent legal advisers for victims of adult rape.