Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions he has had with the Attorney General on Criminal Prosecution Service charging thresholds in cases for rape.

The Minister for Crime, Safeguarding and Vulnerability and the Solicitor General regularly meet to discuss issues related to sexual violence, including improving outcomes for victims of rape and serious sexual offences. The Attorney General also is a member of the Violence Against Women and Girls Inter Ministerial Group, chaired by the Home Secretary, at which issues related to rape and sexual violence are also discussed.

Rape and sexual violence are devastating crimes and we expect every report to be treated seriously from the point of disclosure, every victim to be treated with dignity and every investigation and every prosecution to be conducted thoroughly and professionally.We continue to work with the police to look at ways to improve police investigations of rape and ensure that their guidance on investigating and prosecuting rape is implemented in every police force area. We are working with the CPS, Ministry of Justice and Attorney General’s Office to better understand these issues, which will be addressed in detail in the upcoming Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy Refresh.