Oral Answers to Questions

Sarah Olney Excerpts

Wednesday 14th October 2026 Commons Chamber

[Lee Barron (Corby and East Northamptonshire) (Lab)]

6. What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help improve prosecution rates for crimes of violence against women and girls.

[Sarah Olney (Richmond Park) (LD)]

8. What steps she is taking to help increase prosecution rates in cases of violence against women and girls.

[The Attorney General (Ellie Reeves)]

Last month, the Government announced plans to roll out specialist rape and serious sexual offences courtrooms in every Crown court across England and Wales. The courtrooms will transform how the justice system treats survivors of some of the most serious crimes, and will ensure a victim-focused, trauma-informed approach. The changes are designed to encourage more victims to come forward, and will prioritise their cases by fixing trial dates to avoid delays and last-minute changes.

--- Later in debate ---

[Sarah Olney]

Last year, the Public Accounts Committee warned that the Government would not meet their manifesto commitment to halve violence against women and girls if they did not get to grips with the evolving nature of abuse. Technologically facilitated abuse is growing rapidly; referrals to Refuge rose by nearly 80% last year. This includes intimate image abuse; offences rose by 27%. However, over the same period, the proportion of cases resulting in a charge fell from 5.8% to 4.5%. What steps is the Attorney General taking to help increase prosecution rates in cases of technologically facilitated abuse?

[The Attorney General]

The hon. Lady is right to point out the deeply worrying rise in tech-facilitated abuse. In July, I hosted a roundtable with the CPS, police and third sector, specifically to focus on tech-facilitated violence against women and girls. The CPS will publish a dedicated action plan on tech-facilitated violence against women and girls, building on its VAWG strategy, which was published last November.