Asked by: Joe Morris (Labour - Hexham)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Solicitor General, pursuant to the Answer of 22 May 2025 to Question 52361, whether her Department has had further discussions with the CPS on (a) the pilot scheme for Operation Soteria in CPS North East and (b) its rollout across the country.
Answered by Ellie Reeves - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
This Government is committed to halving violence against women and girls within a decade, and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) plays a critical role in achieving this.
Operation Soteria, which concluded in November 2023, was an ambitious joint policing-CPS programme aimed at transforming the investigation and prosecution of adult rape cases.
Operation Soteria informed the launch of the CPS’ National Operating Model for Adult Rape Prosecution (NOM) in July 2023. It sets out a consistent national approach to adult rape prosecutions, built around a suspect-focused, victim-centred, and context-led approach to case building. It includes new processes and guidance materials, bespoke training, and the recruitment of additional prosecutors and operational staff. Every component of the NOM has now been rolled out nationally to the CPS’ specialist Rape and Serious Sexual Offence Units.
Since the NOM’s launch, there have been significant increases in the volume of police referrals, suspects charged, and court receipts for adult rape cases. For example, between Q1 2023/24 (the last quarter before the launch of NOM) and Q1 2025/26 (the CPS' most recent published data), the number of completed prosecutions for adult rape flagged cases has increased by 37%.
However, the CPS recognises the need to maintain momentum and is currently implementing a new Rape Action Plan to ensure every decision in rape cases is robust, every prosecutor is supported, and every victim can have confidence in the justice process.
Asked by: Joe Morris (Labour - Hexham)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Solicitor General, pursuant to the Answer of 22 May 2025 to Question 52361 on Gender Based Violence: Prosecutions, whether her Department has had further discussions on the application of the Crown Prosecution Service Domestic Abuse Joint Justice Plan to rural areas.
Answered by Ellie Reeves - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
Domestic abuse causes severe and lasting harm to victims. Bringing perpetrators of these crimes to justice, whether committed in our cities, towns or rural areas, is a core priority for this Government and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).
In collaboration with the National Police Chiefs’ Council, the CPS launched the Domestic Abuse Joint Justice Plan (DA JJP) to improve the collective response to the investigation and prosecution of domestic abuse cases across England and Wales.
The DA JJP has strengthened joint working with policing – building stronger cases from the outset and increasing access to justice for victims nationally and locally. The work is already showing positive results – referrals volumes from Northumbria Police have increased by nearly 18.4% since the plan was launched, demonstrating that significant progress has been made.
Recognising different local needs, the plan provides strategic direction rather than prescribing local activity. CPS Areas and police forces have worked together to tailor the plan to address local priorities and community needs – including those in rural areas.
A key outcome of the DA JJP is building expertise across both the CPS and policing. To support this, there is a joint knowledge sharing event on ‘Domestic Abuse in Rural Areas’ planned for the new year. This coordinated approach is key to breaking cycles of abuse, securing prosecutions, and ensuring that victims are heard, protected, and supported throughout the justice process.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Solicitor General, what discussions she has had the Crown Prosecution Service on the adequacy of the number of prosecutions in relation to promoting terrorism.
Answered by Ellie Reeves - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has a strong record of bringing successful prosecutions in terrorism cases and works very closely with Counter Terrorism policing and partners to help build strong cases.
Cases are prosecuted by the specialist CPS Counter Terrorism Division. Recently published Home Office statistics confirmed that in the year ending 30 June 2025, of the 83 persons who were tried for all terrorism-related offences, 80 were convicted (96%).
There are several offences that can be used to prosecute those who promote terrorism, including offences of disseminating terrorist publications, encouraging terrorism, and for the preparation of acts of terrorism or to assist others in preparation of acts of terrorism.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Solicitor General, whether the law officers plans to seek to negotiate reforms of the European Convention of Human Rights at Council of Europe level.
Answered by Ellie Reeves - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
As the Prime Minister has made clear, the United Kingdom will not withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights. To leave would be entirely contrary to this country’s national interest.
We need to work with our friends and partners in Europe to tackle all our major issues from irregular migration to combatting climate change. The solutions to these problems will not be met by isolating ourselves from our allies. But the status quo is not an option, and we are looking at various options to modernise our approach both domestically and internationally to the Convention.
As Chief Legal Advisors to Government, any advice that might be given by the Law Officers would be protected by the Law Officers’ Convention.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Solicitor General, whether the Attorney General held discussions with the (a) CPS and (b) Director of Public Prosecutions on the available evidence prior to the decision not to proceed with prosecution in the case on Chinese espionage.
Answered by Ellie Reeves - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
Decisions to prosecute are, rightly, made independently of Government by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).
Consent was given by my predecessor on 3 April 2024. Following that date, no Law Officer intervened in the case at any stage.
Where a case can no longer proceed because of evidential reasons, as in this case, then the requirement is that the CPS informs the Attorney General of the decision as soon as it is taken.
The decision to offer no evidence was a decision made by the CPS, without any political influence, by the Attorney General or me, as the CPS has already confirmed.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Solicitor General, if she will publish legal advice provided to the Crown Prosecution Service on the case relating to the alleged breach of Official Secrets Act on behalf of China.
Answered by Ellie Reeves - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
Decisions to prosecute are, rightly, made independently of Government by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).
Consent was given by my predecessor on 3 April 2024. Following that date, no Law Officer intervened in the case at any stage.
Where a case can no longer proceed because of evidential reasons, as in this case, then the requirement is that the CPS informs the Attorney General of the decision as soon as it is taken.
The decision to offer no evidence was a decision made by the CPS, without any political influence, by the Attorney General or me, as the CPS has already confirmed.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to investigate and report on how the failures in process which led to the collapse of the trial of Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh occurred.
Answered by Lord Hermer - Attorney General
On 7 October 2025, the Crown Prosecution Service applied to appeal to the High Court by way of case stated, challenging the Chief Magistrate’s interpretation of the law. As these remain active proceedings, you will understand that it would be inappropriate for me to comment further.
It makes sense to await the final resolution of the case before conducting any sort of post-mortem and that also avoids any risk of prejudicing any future proceedings.
Asked by: Mark Francois (Conservative - Rayleigh and Wickford)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Solicitor General, pursuant to the Answer of 27 February 2025 to Question 30971 on Armed Forces: Civil Proceedings, whether the Attorney General’s list of conflicts included legacy-related matters under the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023.
Answered by Ellie Reeves - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) has an established and rigorous process for identifying and dealing with conflicts, and potential conflicts, that arise from the Law Officers’ past practice. That process sits against the backdrop of every lawyer’s professional obligation to be alert to, and actively manage, any situation that might give rise to a potential or actual conflict.
This rigorous process for identifying and managing conflicts sits alongside the system relating to ministerial interests, overseen by the Prime Minister’s Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards. Both the Director General of the AGO and the Independent Adviser were provided with the Attorney General’s list of conflicts following his appointment.
If a Law Officer were to publicly confirm specific matters where they were conflicted, this would infer that legal advice had been requested by the Government on a specific matter, which would risk a breach of the Law Officers’ Convention.
In addition, a lawyer cannot breach a client’s confidentiality in relation to advisory work that had previously not been made public so this would limit the ability of a Law Officer to publish in full their previous caseload and conflicts schedule. In that regard, the Attorney General has been through the same process as previous Law Officers, none of whom have gone as far to proactively disclose their specific conflicts of interest for the reasons set out above.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Solicitor General, what steps her Department is taking to improve prosecution rates for grooming gang offences.
Answered by Ellie Reeves - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
This Government is committed to tackling all forms of child sexual abuse and exploitation, including grooming gangs, by stamping out these abhorrent crimes and bringing perpetrators to justice.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) will always prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children whenever its legal test is met, regardless of how much time has passed since the offending took place.
Between 2021/22 and 2024/25, the CPS has seen a 25% increase in prosecutions for child sexual abuse. These efforts have been grounded in a commitment to safeguarding victims and holding offenders to account. CPS prosecutors who deal with contact child sexual abuse cases receive specialist training which emphasises a trauma-informed and suspect-focused approach to decision-making.
The CPS has a dedicated national Organised Child Sexual Abuse Unit (OCSAU) with highly experienced prosecutors leading on the most complex and high-risk cases of child sexual abuse, including those involving grooming gangs. As of June 2025, OCSAU has secured 85 convictions, with a conviction rate of 82.5%. This includes convictions arising from Operation Stovewood, which is the investigation into child sexual exploitation in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013. Each single prosecution represents justice for multiple victims.
Asked by: Helen Maguire (Liberal Democrat - Epsom and Ewell)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Solicitor General, what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of prosecutions for domestic abuse related offences.
Answered by Ellie Reeves - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
Domestic Abuse (DA) causes severe and lasting harm to victims. Bringing perpetrators of these crimes to justice is a top priority for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).
In partnership with the National Police Chiefs Council, the CPS launched the Domestic Abuse Joint Justice Plan (DA JJP) in November 2024 to improve their collective response to the investigation and prosecution of DA cases.
The DA JJP sets out how the police and CPS will strengthen joint working – from building stronger cases from the outset to improving victim safeguarding to deliver more timely justice for victims. This coordinated approach is key to breaking cycles of abuse, securing prosecutions, and ensuring that victims are heard, protected, and supported throughout the justice process.
The focused work within the DA JJP has already had a positive impact on most CPS performance metrics. For example, referral volumes from police to CPS have increased by 14% since the DA JJP was launched. Charging pilots have also been launched to improve timeliness, with national rollout set for the end of 2025.
The forthcoming CPS VAWG Strategy, due for publication later this year, recognises the link between DA and VAWG related offending. Through the strategy, the CPS will further strengthen its response to DA through updated prosecution guidance, enhanced training modules and an improved services to victims of DA.