Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to encourage victims of attempted rape to report that crime to the police.

Victims of sexual violence and abuse show immense bravery in coming forward, and we want them to have the confidence to report incidents knowing they will get the support they need and that everything will be done to bring offenders to justice.

That is why we have nearly doubled funding for victim support services since 2013, as well as increasing the funding available to specialist rape and sexual abuse services by 10% - up to £24m over the next three years – to help provide advice, support and counselling to victims of these appalling crimes.

We are also taking action through the Government’s Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy, backed by £100 million of funding, to support victims and prevent these crimes from happening in the first place. As part of this work we will undertake a review of the criminal justice system’s response to rape and sexual offences to ensure we support survivors through every stage of this process.