Asked by: Ann Coffey (The Independent Group for Change - Stockport)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, how he will ensure that the Criminal Justice Board review of how rape and sexual violence cases are handled across the criminal justice system provides independent scrutiny of CPS case handling.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
Rape and serious sexual offences are horrific crimes, which can have a significant and profound impact on victims.
I recognise that there is real current concern around the criminal justice response to rape and serious sexual offences. The Government’s Review provides an opportunity to identify areas, from the beginning to the end of the criminal justice process, where the police, CPS and HM Courts and Tribunals Service can improve practice and outcomes in cases involving these offences. The CPS will work with partners across the criminal justice system to address any issues that are highlighted as a result of the Review.
All those involved in the Review, including the AGO and the CPS, are committed to ensuring that the Review is conducted with the requisite degree of openness and independence as to enable the public to have full confidence in its final findings.
Asked by: Ann Coffey (The Independent Group for Change - Stockport)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, how many prosecutions under the Modern Slavery Act in 2017 were for cases involving victims under 18.
Answered by Robert Buckland
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) maintains a central record of the number of offences in which a prosecution commenced, including offences charged by way of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 on its Case Management Information System. These data may be further disaggregated by the child abuse case monitoring flag. The CPS definition of child abuse covers any case where the victim was under 18 years of age at the time of the offence and allegations or crimes perpetrated by both adults and under 18s.
During the most recently available year, the number of Modern Slavery Act offences flagged as child abuse, is as follows:
- | 2016-2017 | |
- | Child Abuse Flagged Offences | Total Offences |
Modern Slavery Act 2015 { 1(1)(a) and 5(1) } | 0 | 13 |
Modern Slavery Act 2015 { 1(1)(b) and 5(1) } | 0 | 10 |
Modern Slavery Act 2015 { 2(1) and 5(1) } | 21 | 73 |
Modern Slavery Act 2015 { 4 and 5(2) } | 0 | 1 |
Modern Slavery Act 2015 { 4 and 5(3) } | 0 | 1 |
Data Source: CPS Case Management Information System | ||
There is no indication of the number of individual defendants prosecuted for these offences or the final outcome of the prosecution proceeding or if the charged offence was the substantive charge at the time of finalisation. It is often the case that defendants will be prosecuted for more than one offence in the same set of proceedings.
Asked by: Ann Coffey (The Independent Group for Change - Stockport)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, how many people were charged in 2015 under (a) section 57 and (b) section 58 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003.
Answered by Jeremy Wright
I am answering on behalf of the Secretary of State for Justice, as I am the minister that superintends the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), who is responsible for bringing charges.
The CPS does not maintain a central record of the number of people who have been charged with offences brought by way of Section 1 or Section 2 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015; or Section 4 of the Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants etc.) Act 2004; or Sections 57 and 58 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003. (Sections 57, 58 and 59 were repealed and replaced by section 59A Sexual Offences Act 2003 on 13 April 2013) This information could only be obtained by examining CPS case files, which would incur disproportionate cost.
However, although it is not possible to identify the number of people charged with a particular offence, records are held showing the overall number of offences in which a prosecution commenced in the magistrates’ courts. The table below shows the number of offences, rather than defendants, charged by way of the human trafficking offences during each of the last three calendar years. A single defendant may be charged with more than one offence.
2013 | 2014 | 2015 | |
Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants, etc.) Act 2004 { 4 } | 20 | 73 | 48 |
Coroners and Justice Act 2009 { 71 } | 36 | 26 | 34 |
Modern Slavery Act 2015 { 1 } | 0 | 0 | 5 |
Sexual Offences Act 2003 { 57 } | 22 | 35 | 69 |
Sexual Offences Act 2003 { 58 } | 84 | 35 | 75 |
Sexual Offences Act 2003 { 59 } | 4 | 4 | 9 |
Sexual Offences Act 2003 { 59A } | 1 | 17 | 94 |
Total Human Trafficking Offences Charged | 167 | 190 | 334 |
Data Source: CPS Management Information System |
No offences have yet been recorded under section 2 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015, which came into force on 31st July 2015.
Asked by: Ann Coffey (The Independent Group for Change - Stockport)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, how many people have been charged under (a) section 1 and (b) section 2 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 since those provisions came into force on 31 July 2015.
Answered by Jeremy Wright
I am answering on behalf of the Secretary of State for Justice, as I am the minister that superintends the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), who is responsible for bringing charges.
The CPS does not maintain a central record of the number of people who have been charged with offences brought by way of Section 1 or Section 2 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015; or Section 4 of the Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants etc.) Act 2004; or Sections 57 and 58 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003. (Sections 57, 58 and 59 were repealed and replaced by section 59A Sexual Offences Act 2003 on 13 April 2013) This information could only be obtained by examining CPS case files, which would incur disproportionate cost.
However, although it is not possible to identify the number of people charged with a particular offence, records are held showing the overall number of offences in which a prosecution commenced in the magistrates’ courts. The table below shows the number of offences, rather than defendants, charged by way of the human trafficking offences during each of the last three calendar years. A single defendant may be charged with more than one offence.
2013 | 2014 | 2015 | |
Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants, etc.) Act 2004 { 4 } | 20 | 73 | 48 |
Coroners and Justice Act 2009 { 71 } | 36 | 26 | 34 |
Modern Slavery Act 2015 { 1 } | 0 | 0 | 5 |
Sexual Offences Act 2003 { 57 } | 22 | 35 | 69 |
Sexual Offences Act 2003 { 58 } | 84 | 35 | 75 |
Sexual Offences Act 2003 { 59 } | 4 | 4 | 9 |
Sexual Offences Act 2003 { 59A } | 1 | 17 | 94 |
Total Human Trafficking Offences Charged | 167 | 190 | 334 |
Data Source: CPS Management Information System |
No offences have yet been recorded under section 2 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015, which came into force on 31st July 2015.
Asked by: Ann Coffey (The Independent Group for Change - Stockport)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, how many people were charged under section 4 of the Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants, etc.) Act 2004 in 2015.
Answered by Jeremy Wright
I am answering on behalf of the Secretary of State for Justice, as I am the minister that superintends the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), who is responsible for bringing charges.
The CPS does not maintain a central record of the number of people who have been charged with offences brought by way of Section 1 or Section 2 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015; or Section 4 of the Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants etc.) Act 2004; or Sections 57 and 58 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003. (Sections 57, 58 and 59 were repealed and replaced by section 59A Sexual Offences Act 2003 on 13 April 2013) This information could only be obtained by examining CPS case files, which would incur disproportionate cost.
However, although it is not possible to identify the number of people charged with a particular offence, records are held showing the overall number of offences in which a prosecution commenced in the magistrates’ courts. The table below shows the number of offences, rather than defendants, charged by way of the human trafficking offences during each of the last three calendar years. A single defendant may be charged with more than one offence.
2013 | 2014 | 2015 | |
Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants, etc.) Act 2004 { 4 } | 20 | 73 | 48 |
Coroners and Justice Act 2009 { 71 } | 36 | 26 | 34 |
Modern Slavery Act 2015 { 1 } | 0 | 0 | 5 |
Sexual Offences Act 2003 { 57 } | 22 | 35 | 69 |
Sexual Offences Act 2003 { 58 } | 84 | 35 | 75 |
Sexual Offences Act 2003 { 59 } | 4 | 4 | 9 |
Sexual Offences Act 2003 { 59A } | 1 | 17 | 94 |
Total Human Trafficking Offences Charged | 167 | 190 | 334 |
Data Source: CPS Management Information System |
No offences have yet been recorded under section 2 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015, which came into force on 31st July 2015.
Asked by: Ann Coffey (The Independent Group for Change - Stockport)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, pursuant to the Answer of 21 October 2015 to Question 11678, how many prosecutions for trafficking offences linked to County Lines investigations there have been in cases where a child under the age of 18 was trafficked to another area to distribute drugs; and what the outcomes were of each such prosecution.
Answered by Robert Buckland
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) maintains no central record of prosecutions for trafficking offences linked to County Lines investigations. This information could only be obtained by examining CPS case files, which would incur disproportionate cost.