Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department is taking steps to help tackle delays in the commencement of trials for rape.

The Government is committed to supporting the recovery of the courts for all court users, including those who face delays in accessing justice in rape cases.

The listing of cases is a judicial function and judges continue to work to prioritise cases involving vulnerable complainants and witnesses, such as serious sex cases.

To allow for more cases to be heard more quickly, we have extended 30 Nightingale courtrooms beyond the end of March 2022 and removed the limit on the number of days the Crown Court can sit this financial year.

We have already seen an encouraging improvement in timeliness in the Crown Court; with the average number of days for adult rape from CPS charge to the case being completed falling by 8.3% (38 days) since the peak in June 2021.

We are increasing funding for victim and witness support services to £185 million by 2024/25, from £41m in 2009/10. This funding will increase Independent Sexual Violence and Domestic Violence Advisors by 300 to 1000 by 2024/25 – a 43% increase over the next three years - and introduce new key services like a 24/7 support service for victims of rape and sexual violence.

We are expanding the use of pre-recorded cross-examination, known as Section 28, which has been available for children and vulnerable adults in all Crown Courts since November 2020. We are now rolling out Section 28 for complainants of sexual and modern slavery offences nationwide. On 9 June, we rolled out Section 28 to 11 more Crown Courts, bringing the total number to 37.

In addition to these measures, the Rape Review Action Plan which was published in June 2021 set out a robust programme of work to achieve significant improvement in the way the criminal justice system responds to rape.

We recognise the impact the pandemic has had on timeliness in the Crown Court and continue to work to reduce waiting times for victims, witnesses, and other court users. Thanks to the measures we’re taking, this year, we expect to get through 20% more Crown Court cases than we did pre-Covid.