Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Attorney General, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the CPS has adequate enforcement powers to tackle fraudulent activity linked to the covid-19 outbreak.

CPS prosecutors are continuing to ensure that justice is delivered during the Covid-19 outbreak. The CPS and National Police Chief Counsel have pushing joint charging protocol for responding to the current situation, under this protocol all Covid related offence, including Covid related fraud will be prioritised for an immediate charging decision. This decision will be made by the CPS applying Code for Crown Prosecutors to determine whether there is enough evidence to charge and if it is in the public interest to bring a case to court.

The CPS have already authorised charges following reports that a man had been selling fake treatment kits. The CPS continues to work alongside government and law enforcement to provide a multi-agency response to combat this criminal activity and protect the public.