Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions he has had with rape crisis centres on (a) their capacity levels and (b) trends in the number of people seeking their support.

To understand trends in help seeking and service capacity, the Ministry of Justice receives regular monitoring data from service providers that captures demand, user needs and demographics. This data is collated and analysed to inform policy development and commissioning decisions. In addition, the MoJ regularly engages with the sector to identify good practices and delivery challenges.

In recognition of rising demand, the Ministry of Justice is more than quadrupling funding for victim and witness support services by 2024/25, up from £41m in 2009/10. The MoJ has committed £154 million per annum on a multi-year basis, for the next three years, allowing victim support services, and those commissioning them, to provide consistency to victims receiving support.

Funding for sexual abuse support services is largely allocated through local Police and Crime Commissioners (PCC), which for 22/23 included £34 million ringfenced funding for Independent Domestic Violence and Sexual Abuse Advisors, and the national Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Fund (RASASF).

Last year, MoJ also undertook targeted research with rape victims to better understand their experiences, and what they want from support services. This research, published on 26 January 2023, has directly informed the recommissioning of the RASASF, ensuring our commissioning enables community-based service providers to meet the needs of all victims of rape and sexual abuse in the most effective way. The competition for this funding is currently live.