Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what comparative assessment her Department has made between the sentencing for child sexual offences in the UK and sentencing in other Western nations.

The criminal law in England and Wales provides a range of offences to deal with the scourge of child sexual abuse and provides robust penalties that reflect the seriousness of this offending. Child sexual offences generally carry high maximum penalties; for example, the offences of rape of a child under 13 and assault of a child under 13 by penetration both carry a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.

Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own sexual offences. The sentencing framework across international jurisdictions varies widely.

The Government has delivered on a manifesto commitment to bring sentencing up to date by launching an Independent Review of Sentencing chaired by former Lord Chancellor, David Gauke. The Sentencing Review will be guided by the evidence on what works to keep the public safe from harm and rehabilitate offenders. This includes looking at evidence from the criminal justice system in England and Wales as well as other jurisdictions in the UK, and internationally.