Asked by: Harriet Harman (Labour - Camberwell and Peckham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will publish all emails from his Department to the Solicitors Regulation Authority on Leigh Day.
Answered by Phillip Lee
Legal services in England and Wales are independently regulated in accordance with the framework laid down by the Legal Services Act 2007. The Government fully respects the important and independent role the Solicitors Regulation Authority plays in upholding standards in the legal profession.
The Department has no plans to publish any email exchanges with the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
Asked by: Harriet Harman (Labour - Camberwell and Peckham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will update the 2013 Overview of Sexual Offending in England and Wales joint official statistics bulletin on sexual violence.
Answered by Phillip Lee
The data contained in the chapters of “An Overview of Sexual Offending” continues to be updated and published. Since the publication, all three departments involved have developed the sources and outputs to provide for greater detail on sexual offences and rape. Latest data from the constituent chapters, including new presentations, can be found here:
Crime Survey for England and Wales (ONS):
Police activity and outcomes (Home Office):
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/crime-outcomes-in-england-and-wales-2016-to-2017
Court proceedings and sentencing (MoJ):
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-system-statistics-quarterly-december-2016
Court timeliness (MoJ):
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/criminal-court-statistics
Offender histories data (MoJ) – see all offending history tools:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-system-statistics-quarterly-december-2016
Asked by: Harriet Harman (Labour - Camberwell and Peckham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, in how many of the rape cases which went to trial the complainant dropped the charges against the defendant in each of the last five years.
Answered by Phillip Lee
The information requested can only be obtained at disproportionate cost
Asked by: Harriet Harman (Labour - Camberwell and Peckham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many cases where a rape complainant's previous sexual history was used as evidence in court without an application being made to the judge under subsection 41(3)(c)(i) of the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999 prior to the trial have taken place in each of the last five years.
Answered by Phillip Lee
This information requested is not held centrally.
Asked by: Harriet Harman (Labour - Camberwell and Peckham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans he has to amend subsection 41(3)c(i) of the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999 which allows rape complainant's previous sexual history to be used as evidence in court.
Answered by Dominic Raab
The Attorney General and the previous Justice Secretary committed to looking at how s41 is operating in practice. MoJ keep all areas of criminal justice procedure under ongoing review.
Asked by: Harriet Harman (Labour - Camberwell and Peckham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, in how many cases an application was made under subsection 41(3)c(i) of the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999 for a rape complainant's previous sexual history to be used as evidence in court in each of the last five years; and how many such applications were granted.
Answered by Dominic Raab
This information requested is not held centrally.
Asked by: Harriet Harman (Labour - Camberwell and Peckham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to applications granted under subsection 41(3)c(i) of the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999 to use rape complainants' previous sexual history as evidence, how many of those applications resulted in the defendant being (a) acquitted and (b) convicted in each of the last five years.
Answered by Dominic Raab
This information requested is not held centrally.
Asked by: Harriet Harman (Labour - Camberwell and Peckham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what information her Department holds on the number of occasions where judges have allowed evidence in breach of ss41 3 (c) (i) of the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999 in each of the last five years.
Answered by Oliver Heald
The Secretary of State and Attorney General agreed to look at how section 41 is operating in practice and the Crown Prosecution Service is currently conducting a study of a sample of case files.
Asked by: Harriet Harman (Labour - Camberwell and Peckham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will list the judges who have allowed evidence of a rape complainant's previous sexual history without an application being made ahead of trial in each of the last five years.
Answered by Oliver Heald
The information requested is not held centrally.
Asked by: Harriet Harman (Labour - Camberwell and Peckham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Prisons and Probation plans to reply to the letter to him dated 15 March 2017 from the right hon. Member for Camberwell and Peckham, on the former Governor of HM Prison Chelmsford, Helen Carter.
Answered by Phillip Lee
A reply to the letter from the right hon. Member from Camberwell and Peckham dated 15 March 2017 was sent on 30 March 2017.