Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions he has had with the Home Secretary on the potential effect of gender-based violence education in schools on helping to reduce the number of (a) adults convicted of a sexual offence and (b) victims of sexual assault.

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, meets regularly with Cabinet colleagues to discuss the Department's agenda.

Tackling gender-based violence is a top priority for the Government and we are determined to step up our response to prevent these crimes and improve support and outcomes for victims.

The Department welcomes the re-opening of the Home Office’s consultation on Violence Against Women and Girls and would encourage everyone to take part, if they have not already done so. We will continue to work closely with the Home Office on the development of the Government’s forthcoming Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Strategy, which will be informed by the responses received to the call for evidence. The new VAWG Strategy will focus on prevention, drive forward improvements in the effort to target perpetrators, respond to the changing nature of crimes against women and girls and, most importantly, will continue to put victims at the heart of our approach.

The Department is supporting teachers to deliver the new Relationship, Sex and Health Education with confidence, including covering issues such as rape, harassment and abuse in the newly published Being Safe module.