Asked by: Edward Argar (Conservative - Melton and Syston)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what percentage of calls to the 24/7 rape support line were answered substantively within 5 minutes in a) July 2025, b) August 2025 , c) September 2025 , d) October 2025, e) November 2025 and f) December 2025.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Ministry of Justice is committed to ensuring that all victims and survivors aged 16 and over have access to free and confidential emotional and listening support through the 24/7 Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Line, currently delivered by Rape Crisis England and Wales.
We are currently in the process of re-commissioning the grant funding for a national sexual abuse support line. As the competition is live, it would not be appropriate to place additional data into the public domain that could be used to inform applications for the new grant but has not been shared through the formal competition process; doing so could compromise fairness of the competition.
Due to the anonymity of users of the service, capturing accurate data is challenging. As part of the new grant, we are looking to improve data collection and quality assurance to obtain more reliable management information for publication.
Asked by: Edward Argar (Conservative - Melton and Syston)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many call handlers were employed to staff the 24/7 rape support line in a) July 2025, b) August 2025, c) September 2025, d) October 2025, e) November 2025, and f) December 2025.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Ministry of Justice is committed to ensuring that all victims and survivors aged 16 and over have access to free and confidential emotional and listening support through the 24/7 Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Line, currently delivered by Rape Crisis England and Wales.
We are currently in the process of re-commissioning the grant funding for a national sexual abuse support line. As the competition is live, it would not be appropriate to place additional data into the public domain that could be used to inform applications for the new grant but has not been shared through the formal competition process; doing so could compromise fairness of the competition.
Due to the anonymity of users of the service, capturing accurate data is challenging. As part of the new grant, we are looking to improve data collection and quality assurance to obtain more reliable management information for publication.
Asked by: Edward Argar (Conservative - Melton and Syston)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what was the number of calls to the 24/7 rape support line in a) July 2025, b) August 2025 , c) September 2025 , d) October 2025, e) November 2025 and f) December 2025.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Ministry of Justice is committed to ensuring that all victims and survivors aged 16 and over have access to free and confidential emotional and listening support through the 24/7 Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Line, currently delivered by Rape Crisis England and Wales.
We are currently in the process of re-commissioning the grant funding for a national sexual abuse support line. As the competition is live, it would not be appropriate to place additional data into the public domain that could be used to inform applications for the new grant but has not been shared through the formal competition process; doing so could compromise fairness of the competition.
Due to the anonymity of users of the service, capturing accurate data is challenging. As part of the new grant, we are looking to improve data collection and quality assurance to obtain more reliable management information for publication.
Asked by: Edward Argar (Conservative - Melton and Syston)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what male supportive gender specific rape and abuse support services were commissioned directly by his Department in 2025; and if he will list each service and how much spending was allocated to each in 2025.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Fund (RASASF) is centrally commissioned by the Department. Its purpose is to provide specialist support to victims of rape and sexual abuse. RASASF-funded activities provide holistic, trauma-informed, survivor-led support to all victims who have experienced rape or sexual abuse at any point in their lives, regardless of their gender, where they live in England and Wales or whether they report the crime to the police.
RASASF-funded organisations deliver a wide range of services: some RASASF-funded organisations only offer services to male victims; many organisations offer services to both male and female victims; others only offer services to female victims. The Department also provides funding to Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) who commission local practical, emotional and therapeutic services based on an assessment of need in their area.
Details of organisations awarded RASASF grants for the period 01 August 2023 to 31 March 2025 are published online: Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Fund 2023 to 2025: Organisations awarded funding - GOV.UK. Grant funding award amounts for financial year 2025-26 were the same as the published amount for 2024-25. Exceptions are where RASASF-funded organisations have closed down and the Department has re-directed the funds to other specialist organisations within the PCC area. We continue to consider how best to share information on this fund in the public domain.
Alongside the RASASF, the Ministry of Justice funds the 24/7 Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Line, which offers victims, aged 16 and over, access to free and confidential emotional support whenever they need it. Where appropriate, the service will also signpost victims to longer-term support services, such as therapeutic support.
Asked by: Edward Argar (Conservative - Melton and Syston)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what percentage of calls to the 24/7 Rape Support Line were answered in a) July 2025, b) August 2025, c) September 2025, d) October 2025, e) November 2025 and f) December 2025.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Ministry of Justice is committed to ensuring that all victims and survivors aged 16 and over have access to free and confidential emotional and listening support through the 24/7 Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Line, currently delivered by Rape Crisis England and Wales.
We are currently in the process of re-commissioning the grant funding for a national sexual abuse support line. As the competition is live, it would not be appropriate to place additional data into the public domain that could be used to inform applications for the new grant but has not been shared through the formal competition process; doing so could compromise fairness of the competition.
Due to the anonymity of users of the service, capturing accurate data is challenging. As part of the new grant, we are looking to improve data collection and quality assurance to obtain more reliable management information for publication.