Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many times the Criminal Justice Board has met to discuss the review of the criminal justice response to rape and serious sexual offence cases since 6 March 2019.

The Government recognises that the decline in the number of rape and serious sexual offences being charged and prosecuted in England and Wales is a cause for concern, and we are determined to do everything we can to ensure these appalling crimes are tackled effectively and victims are supported.

A review of the criminal justice response to rape and serious sexual offences was commissioned in March 2019 by the National Criminal Justice Board (CJB). A sub-group of the CJB is driving forward the review and continues to gather and analyse detailed views from key groups and agencies across the Criminal Justice System to enable us to better understand how the system’s response to rape cases can be improved. The sub-group met in April 2019, June 2019, October 2019 and March 2020.

The review was due to report its findings to the Criminal Justice Board in Spring 2020, however due in particular to the impact of COVID-19 on the Criminal Justice System, this has been delayed. The Government remains committed to the review and further details will be announced in due course.