Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the performance of for-profit providers of sexual assault referral centres.

All Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) services are commissioned through an open and transparent procurement process. The quality of the service provision is a key consideration in any contract award

All SARC services are subject to Care Quality Commission regulations, and within NHS England, each region has a commissioning and contracting team that oversees all SARC contracts to ensure the performance and quality of the service provision meets National Health Service standards. From October 2025, SARC services will also be required to be accredited under forensic services regulations, which will provide an additional level of assurance.