Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, for what reasons the Government has not published its end-to-end review of rape; and if he will make a statement.

The Government recognises that the decline in the number of rape and serious sexual offences being charged and prosecuted in England and Wales is a cause for significant concern. That is why we are carrying out an end-to-end review of how the Criminal Justice System responds to rape. Through this review we are working with operational partners from across the Criminal Justice system including the police, CPS and victims’ groups to ensure we can improve the way rape cases are dealt with.

The Government wants to make sure that the final report, when published, is as well evidenced and effective as possible, so that it delivers meaningful and long-lasting change. In order to take into account recently published work, including the EVAW ‘Shadow Review’ document, and make sure we define the right actions for the police, CPS and courts to take, we think it is right to delay publication until this spring – a decision that was supported by organisations across the victims’ sector.

We will update the House in due course on the progress of the report.