Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of lengthy court delays on victims of sexual offences.

This Government inherited a record court backlog, and we recognise the impact that long waits for trials may have on victims of sexual violence. We are committed to tackling the outstanding caseload to improve timeliness: we have already doubled magistrates’ sentencing powers, so that Crown Courts can focus on the most serious cases and this year we have funded a record-high allocation of 110,000 Crown Court sitting days to tackle the outstanding caseload and delays. The record number of sitting days we have funded will mean more rape and other sexual offence cases can be heard.

We recognise victims are impacted when trials do not proceed as planned. The National Witness Service provides support on the day of trial. This may include giving explanations for any delays. Pre-trial, victims can receive support from Victim Liaison Officers, or from Ministry of Justice funded victim support services, throughout the criminal justice journey.

Judicial initiatives to expedite rape and other sexual offence cases are already taking place at a local level, for example, in Bristol and Guilford. The judiciary already prioritise cases involving vulnerable victims and witnesses, which includes victims of rape.

However, it is clear that we must go further and do things differently if we are to deliver swifter justice and long-lasting change for victims.  That is why the Government asked Sir Brian Leveson to chair an Independent Review of the Criminal Courts, to propose once-in-a-generation reform to deliver swifter justice for victims across the board - including for victims of rape and other sexual offences. Part one of the Review has been published. We will carefully consider Sir Brian’s proposals before setting out the Government’s full response in the Autumn.