Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to amend the Sexual Offences Act 2003 to make Ministry of Defence cadet force adult volunteering a position of trust for the purposes of child sex offences.

I recognise that there are concerns about those who might abuse their position of power over a 16 or 17-year-old to pressure them into engaging in a sexual relationship. Such behaviour is likely to be caught by the robust laws we already have in place.

We remain committed to protecting children and young people from sexual abuse and we want to ensure that existing offences are being used effectively to tackle this behaviour, and that those working with young people understand their responsibilities and act appropriately.

To that effect my department, working closely with colleagues across government, has taken forward a review of the existing law, to check that that it is working effectively and to ensure young people are protected. This review involved feedback from a wide range of stakeholders.

It is important that in any consideration for reform in this area we achieve the sensitive balance between the protection of young people and ensuring we do not infringe upon the sexual rights and freedoms of those over the age of 16 granted to them by Parliament.

This is a complex area and we are now considering the findings of the review and next steps.

We expect to be in a position to update Parliament on this work shortly.