Asked by: Neil O'Brien (Conservative - Harborough)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people sentenced to an immediate custodial sentence for the first time for (a) possession of a blade or point, (b) possession of an offensive weapon, (c) common assault, (d) assaulting a police officer, (e) sexual assault, (f) public order, (g) theft, (h) robbery, (i) burglary, (j) drugs, (k) criminal damage, (l) breach of and anti-social behaviour order, (m) fraud and (n) vehicle taking had (i) no, (ii) between one and four, (iii) between five and nine, (iv) between 10 and 15, (v) between 16 and 25, (vi) between 26 and 50, (vii) between 51 and 75, (viii) between 76 and 100 and (ix) 101 or more convictions and cautions for previous offences of any type in each year since 2007.
Answered by Gareth Bacon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Sarah Dines (Conservative - Derbyshire Dales)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, with reference to the Answer of 20 January 2023 to Question 125287 on Rape: Prosecutions, how many (a) completed prosecutions and (b) convictions there were for sexual offences in each quarter from the start of January 2005 to the end of September 2015.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) holds management information on its Case Management System showing the number of defendants allocated the Principal Offence Category of Sexual Offences at completion of prosecution. The Principal Offence Category indicates the most serious offence with which a defendant is charged.
The table below shows the number of completed prosecutions and convictions for sexual offences from the start of January 2005 to the end of September 2015. The data provided in the table is in financial quarters.
‘Total completed prosecutions’ refer to the conclusion of a prosecution case against a defendant such as conviction after trial, guilty plea, acquittal, or the prosecution against the defendant being dropped. ‘Convictions’ refer to convictions after trial and guilty pleas.
Quarter | 04/05-Q4 | 05/06-Q1 | 05/06-Q2 | 05/06-Q3 | 05/06-Q4 | 06/07-Q1 | 06/07-Q2 | 06/07-Q3 |
Total completed prosecutions | 2,805 | 2,838 | 2,818 | 2,845 | 2,980 | 2,676 | 2,814 | 2,745 |
Convictions | 1,731 | 1,798 | 1,730 | 1,840 | 1,871 | 1,709 | 1,806 | 1,790 |
Quarter | 06/07-Q4 | 07/08-Q1 | 07/08-Q2 | 07/08-Q3 | 07/08-Q4 | 08/09-Q1 | 08/09-Q2 | 08/09-Q3 |
Total completed prosecutions | 2,894 | 2,730 | 2,837 | 2,753 | 2,779 | 2,704 | 2,834 | 2,633 |
Convictions | 1,908 | 1,861 | 1,890 | 1,909 | 2,045 | 1,949 | 1,989 | 1,864 |
Quarter | 08/09-Q4 | 09/10-Q1 | 09/10-Q2 | 09/10-Q3 | 09/10-Q4 | 10/11-Q1 | 10/11-Q2 | 10/11-Q3 |
Total completed prosecutions | 2,707 | 2,551 | 2,867 | 2,838 | 2,918 | 2,919 | 3,228 | 3,143 |
Convictions | 1,898 | 1,821 | 2,014 | 2,018 | 2,124 | 2,076 | 2,240 | 2,210 |
Quarter | 10/11-Q4 | 11/12-Q1 | 11/12-Q2 | 11/12-Q3 | 11/12-Q4 | 12/13-Q1 | 12/13-Q2 | 12/13-Q3 |
Total completed prosecutions | 3,182 | 2,828 | 3,000 | 2,945 | 2,962 | 2,693 | 2,749 | 2,840 |
Convictions | 2,200 | 2,019 | 2,154 | 2,120 | 2,148 | 2,021 | 1,958 | 2,081 |
Quarter | 12/13-Q4 | 13/14-Q1 | 13/14-Q2 | 13/14-Q3 | 13/14-Q4 | 14/15-Q1 | 14/15-Q2 |
Total completed prosecutions | 2,720 | 2,891 | 3,103 | 2,973 | 3,073 | 3,087 | 3,496 |
Convictions | 1,928 | 2,108 | 2,340 | 2,194 | 2,179 | 2,197 | 2,496 |
Quarter | 14/15-Q3 | 14/15-Q4 | 15/16-Q1 | 15/16-Q2 |
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Total completed prosecutions | 3,531 | 3,664 | 3,694 | 4,045 |
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Convictions | 2,486 | 2,623 | 2,674 | 2,876 |
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Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many reports were made of (a) rape and (b) other serious sexual offences by an alleged perpetrator under the age of 18 in (i) each police force area and (ii) the UK in each of the last five years.
Answered by Laura Farris - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Ministry of Justice) (jointly with Home Office)
The Home Office collects and publishes information on the number of rape and sexual offences recorded by the police in England and Wales, and their investigative outcomes, including the number of charge/summons. This information is published by Police Force Area on a quarterly basis, and can be accessed here: Police recorded crime and outcomes open data tables - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
The Home Office does not hold information on perpetrators under the age of 18. Statistics on convictions in England and Wales, including rape and sexual offences by perpetrator age, are published by the Ministry of Justice, in the release Criminal Justice System Statistics Quarterly, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/criminal-justice-statistics-quarterly
Scotland have a different method of recording sexual offences to England and Wales but information on crimes and offences recorded by the police, including clear ups of crimes, can be accessed here:
https://www.gov.scot/publications/recorded-crime-scotland-2022-23/
Information on crimes and offences recorded by the police in Northern Ireland, including investigative outcomes, can be accessed here:
Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many charges have been brought against alleged perpetrators under the age of 18 for (a) rape and (b) serious sexual offences in each of the last five years (i) nationally and (ii) by police force area.
Answered by Laura Farris - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Ministry of Justice) (jointly with Home Office)
The Home Office collects and publishes information on the number of rape and sexual offences recorded by the police in England and Wales, and their investigative outcomes, including the number of charge/summons. This information is published by Police Force Area on a quarterly basis, and can be accessed here: Police recorded crime and outcomes open data tables - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
The Home Office does not hold information on perpetrators under the age of 18. Statistics on convictions in England and Wales, including rape and sexual offences by perpetrator age, are published by the Ministry of Justice, in the release Criminal Justice System Statistics Quarterly, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/criminal-justice-statistics-quarterly
Scotland have a different method of recording sexual offences to England and Wales but information on crimes and offences recorded by the police, including clear ups of crimes, can be accessed here:
https://www.gov.scot/publications/recorded-crime-scotland-2022-23/
Information on crimes and offences recorded by the police in Northern Ireland, including investigative outcomes, can be accessed here:
Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many convictions there have been for (a) rape and (b) serious sexual offences where the perpetrator was under the age of 18 in each of the last five years.
Answered by Laura Farris - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Ministry of Justice) (jointly with Home Office)
The Home Office collects and publishes information on the number of rape and sexual offences recorded by the police in England and Wales, and their investigative outcomes, including the number of charge/summons. This information is published by Police Force Area on a quarterly basis, and can be accessed here: Police recorded crime and outcomes open data tables - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
The Home Office does not hold information on perpetrators under the age of 18. Statistics on convictions in England and Wales, including rape and sexual offences by perpetrator age, are published by the Ministry of Justice, in the release Criminal Justice System Statistics Quarterly, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/criminal-justice-statistics-quarterly
Scotland have a different method of recording sexual offences to England and Wales but information on crimes and offences recorded by the police, including clear ups of crimes, can be accessed here:
https://www.gov.scot/publications/recorded-crime-scotland-2022-23/
Information on crimes and offences recorded by the police in Northern Ireland, including investigative outcomes, can be accessed here:
Asked by: Sarah Atherton (Conservative - Wrexham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many and what proportion of charges of (a) rape and (b) other sexual offences against people working at the Army Foundation College that were brought to trial at court-martial resulted in conviction in each of the last five years.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The tables below show the number and proportion of charges at Court Martial of rape and other sexual offences involving people working at Army Foundation College Harrogate which resulted in a conviction.
Rape
| Number of Convictions | % of Convictions |
2019 (7 May onwards) | 0 | 0 |
2020 | 0 | 0 |
2021 | 0 | 0 |
2022 | 0 | 0 |
2023 | 1 | 100% |
2024 (to 7 May) | 0 | 0 |
Other Sexual Offences
| Number of Convictions | % of Convictions |
2019 (7 May onwards) | 0 | 0 |
2020 | 0 | 0 |
2021 | 0 | 0 |
2022 | 0 | 0 |
2023 | 2 | 16.7% |
2024 (to 7 May) | 2 | 100% |
Caveats:
1. JPA is a live system which is updated for retrospective complaints/allegations and therefore, data can be subject to change.
2. These figures are single service estimates only and are not official statistics produced by Defence Statistics.
3. The data represents the number of charges; it may be that more than one charge has been brought against the same person.
4. Table two shows the number of other sexual offences under the Sexual Offences Act 2003 or its historical equivalent.
5. People working at AFC Harrogate does not include recruits.
6. The % columns detail the proportion of convictions in relation to charges at Court Martial.
Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people have been convicted under section 53 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 in each year since 2010.
Answered by Laura Farris - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Ministry of Justice) (jointly with Home Office)
The Ministry of Justice holds data on the number of offenders convicted under section 53 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003, covering the period requested. This is publicly available and can be obtained through the Outcomes by Offence Data tool, using HO offence code: 02418 – Controlling a prostitute for gain.
The information is published quarterly as part of the Criminal Justice System statistics.
Asked by: Lord Blunkett (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to update the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.
Answered by Lord Bellamy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
This government has recently reviewed and made significant changes to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (ROA) 1974. The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 amended the ROA to significantly reduce the length of time that someone needs to disclose most criminal records. These reforms will improve access to employment, which we know is a key factor in supporting rehabilitation and enabling former offenders to reintegrate into the community. Serious violent, sexual, or terrorist offences are excluded from these changes and continue to never be spent.
Where a person has a conviction disclosed, we are clear that this should not be an automatic bar to employment. Our guidance for employers states that they should make a balanced judgment on whether someone’s convictions make them unsuitable for a particular job. This should take into account the person’s age at the time of the offence, how long ago it took place, the nature of the offence and its relevance to the position in question, among other factors.
The ROA is kept under review. There are no current plans to make further changes, but please see further the answer I gave on 4 April to Question HL3362.
Asked by: Lord Blunkett (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government, excluding sexual or violent offences, under what circumstances can someone subject to an Imprisonment for Public Protection sentence who has completed their license period have earlier, minor offences dropped from their record.
Answered by Lord Bellamy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (the ROA) sets out when an offender is considered to be ‘rehabilitated’ for the purposes of the Act and the relevant rehabilitation periods for cautions and convictions (also referred to as when a caution or a conviction become ‘spent’). This does not mean that an offence is dropped from their record, rather that the offender only needs to disclose the spent caution or conviction in some circumstances.
The ROA also provides that where a person commits another offence before the first has become spent, then the rehabilitation periods for all sentences are extended to the longest period. This is set out in section 6 of the ROA and referred to as ‘the drag on effect’. The ROA sets out that Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) and Detention for Public Protection (DPP) sentences are excluded from rehabilitation and therefore can never become spent, regardless of whether the licence is terminated or not.
A conviction imposed on an offender before a sentence of IPP will not be spent if, at the time the IPP or DPP was imposed, the sentence for that conviction was still in its rehabilitation period. However, any sentence which is not excluded from rehabilitation, and is received after an IPP or DPP sentence is imposed, will become spent in respect of the usual rehabilitation periods set out in section 5 and 6 of the ROA.
The ROA is kept under review but there are no plans to make further changes at this time.
Asked by: Philip Davies (Conservative - Shipley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many civil servants in his Department have a criminal conviction.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The information requested is not held centrally and to obtain it would incur disproportionate costs.
New appointments to Defra undergo pre-employment criminal record checks. Where a conviction is flagged, appointment is dependent on a role-specific risk assessment. Convictions for the following offences result in the individual automatically failing pre-employment checks and not being appointed: life sentences, arson, sexual offences and hate and terror offences.
Defra has participated in the Going Forward into Employment Scheme for Ex-Offenders and has appointed to posts via this scheme. We can confirm that the numbers appointed under this scheme are currently less than 10. However, exact numbers may enable individuals to be identifiable and the privacy and confidentiality of this information requires us to ensure individuals are properly protected.