Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what progress has been made on the review into the reduction in rape prosecutions; and what her timetable is for (a) completing that review and (b) publishing its recommendations.

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 Government intends to publish its initial findings in the autumn.