Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Solicitor General, what steps she is taking to increase prosecution rates for violence against women and girls in (a) Hexham constituency, (b) Northumberland, (c) Newcastle, (d) the North East, and (e) England.

Violence against women and girls (VAWG) is a national emergency and through the Safer Streets Mission, this Government has committed to halve VAWG within a decade. A key part will be delivering effective prosecutions.

As Solicitor General, I superintend the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). The CPS is continuing to transform its approach to adult rape prosecution through the implementation of their national operating model, based on robust evidence from Operation Soteria, resulting in substantial increases in referral, charge, and prosecution volumes for adult rape.

The Domestic Abuse Joint Justice Plan, launched with policing in November 2024, has also led to better partnership with policing and modest initial increases in domestic abuse referrals, setting a strong foundation for future improvements.

Work has also begun to deliver the CPS’ VAWG Strategy for 2025-30, ensuring prosecutors have the right skills and tools to prosecute VAWG effectively.

In the Northumbria police force area in 2023-24, the CPS prosecuted 1,840 domestic abuse flagged cases (an increase from 1,631 in 2022-23), 124 rape flagged cases (an increase from 86 in 2022-23), and 389 sexual offences (excluding rape flagged) cases (an increase from 375 in 2022-23).

CPS North East (which covers Hexham, Northumberland and Newcastle) was a pilot area for Operation Soteria and early implementors of the rape national model. They are now a pilot area for the Domestic Abuse Joint Justice Plan proactively encouraging collaborative working to improve the quality and timeliness of decision-making in domestic abuse cases.

The same area has also worked closely with local forces to restructure governance structures to drive up performance, including regular scrutiny panels on domestic abuse and rape cases attended by local Independent Sexual Violence Advisers and Independent Domestic Violence Advisors.