Asked by: Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, with reference to the Written Ministerial Statement of 6 December 2010, Official Report, column 7WS, what consideration the Law Officers' Departments have given to the articles of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child when making new policy and legislation since May 2015.
Answered by Robert Buckland
The Law Officers' Departments are fully committed to considering the impact on children of all new policies and legislation. The Law Officers' Departments are primarily operational and do not routinely make policy and legislation.
The Crown Prosecution Service publishes a range of legal guidance which can be found on its website http://www.cps.gov.uk/legal/index.html.
Since May 2015, the Crown Prosecution Service has published revised guidelines on prosecuting cases involving communications sent via social media and prosecuting indecent images of children. Additional guidance to prosecutors has been published in relation to the possession of a paedophile manual and female genital mutilation. The policies were carefully developed to ensure compatibility with human rights. The policies were consulted on, including consultation with key groups such as the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children and Victim Support or other key stakeholders.
The CPS is committed to ensuring that child victims and witnesses are given as much support as possible during the criminal justice process and are working in partnership with other agencies to achieve this.