Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Attorney General, what steps her Department is taking to increase prosecution rates for fraud.

Tackling Fraud is a top priority for this government and requires a sophisticated multi-agency approach, coordinating with domestic and international partners. As prosecuting agencies, both the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) play a vital part in that response.

Last year the CPS published its first ever Economic Crime Strategy, which affirms its commitment to improve criminal justice outcomes in this area and support victims. In the year ending September 2021, the CPS prosecuted 7,609 defendants, in cases where Fraud and Forgery was recorded as the principal offence. The conviction rate was 84.9%.

Taking into account judicial resolutions such as DPAs, the SFO’s successful judicial outcomes rate is 85% by case and 50% by defendant over the past four financial years [2018/19 – 2021/22].