Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average time was for rape cases to be completed in court in each year since 2010.

Timeliness estimates for defendants dealt with for all rape at criminal courts since 2010 (Table 1) and for the latest quarter (Table 2) can be found in the attached spreadsheet.

The length of time a case takes in court depends on a variety of factors including complexity of the case, pleas and other factors.

In June 2021, we published the End-to-End Rape Review Report and Action Plan. We committed to delivering real improvements to transform support for victims and working with the police and the CPS to more than double the number of adult rape cases reaching court by the end of this Parliament.

The volume of adult rape cases going through the system has significantly increased: there were 440 Crown Court receipts in the second quarter of 2022, up 91% from the quarterly average in 2019.

Adult rape convictions have also increased: there were 532 convictions in the year to June 2022, up 65% compared to the year to June 2021.

We have taken decisive steps to improve timeliness at Court:

• We have removed the limit on sitting days, extended the use of 30 Nightingale courtrooms beyond March 2022, and are extending our plans for judicial recruitment to increase sitting capacity and improve waiting times for victims.

• To provide additional capacity in the Crown Court, Magistrates’ Court sentencing powers have been extended from 6 to 12 months for a single Triable Either Way offence to allow more cases to be heard in the Magistrates’ Court.

• Over the next three years we are investing additional funding for the Criminal Justice System to help improve waiting times for victims of crime and reduce the Crown Court backlog.

We have also:

• Fully rolled out pre-recorded cross examination (Section 28) for victims of sexual and modern slavery offences in all Crown Court locations across England and Wales. This special measure allows victims to pre-record evidence, spares them the glare of a live courtroom trial and allows them to give evidence in advance of the trial and then move on with their lives more quickly.

• Announced a Specialist Sexual Violence Support project in three Crown Court locations.

• More than quadrupled funding for victim support from £41m in 2009/10 to £192m by 2024/25, and are increasing the number of Independent Sexual and Domestic Abuse Advisors to over 1,000 by 2024/25.

• Launched a single source of 24/7 support for victims of rape and sexual abuse meaning every victim can now access free, confidential emotional support whenever and wherever they need it.