Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent discussions he has had with relevant stakeholders on providing support to victims of rape and sexual violence through the court system in the North East.

Ministers at the Ministry of Justice engage regularly with stakeholders across the criminal justice system and victim support sector organisations across the country and in all regions. I recently held a roundtable at the Angel Centre (a Sexual Assault Referral Centre in Newcastle) to meet with and learn from local services supporting victims of sexual violence.

This Government is committed to ensuring that victims are supported throughout their engagement with the criminal justice system, regardless of where they live. Across the country, every Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) area now has at least two dedicated Victim Liaison Officers in its rape and serious sexual offences unit. Pre-trial meetings are offered to all adult victims of these crimes, and the CPS have also delivered trauma-informed training to staff as part of their Victims’ Programme. The Ministry of Justice-funded Witness Service also provides on-the-day emotional and practical support to victims who are witnesses.

This year we have protected dedicated Ministry of Justice Violence Against Women and Girls victims spending, maintaining 2024-25 funding levels for ringfenced sexual violence and domestic abuse support services in every Police and Crime Commissioner area. This also includes the Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Fund, which provides funding to over 60 specialist support organisations, including in the North East.