Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of a Supervision Order issued under Schedule 1A to the Criminal Procedure (Insanity) Act 1964 reaching its statutory two-year maximum limit in cases involving child sexual abuse on public safety.

Firstly, it was constructive to meet with you and your constituent Katherine Prior to discuss your concerns around the law on fitness to plead and the consequences which can flow from a finding that an individual is unfit to plead. As I indicated in the meeting together with my officials, we will revert to you in relation to the important issues which you raised.

Generally speaking, it is important to distinguish the two-year limit of a Supervision Order from other protection measures that may apply in these cases. The end of the two- year period does not by itself determine whether an individual is eligible for management through other public protection frameworks beyond this timeline. Consideration may be given to MAPPA management where the relevant risk criteria are satisfied and probation and Local Authorities are encouraged to work together to provide multi agency support through existing MAPPA arrangements where appropriate.

The Government recognises that the law relating to unfitness to plead needs updating. We are considering how to implement reforms proposed by the Law Commission including those which will extend the range of disposals available to courts and provide more effective powers to protect victims and the public in these cases.

The Ministry of Justice does not currently hold data on the number of Supervision Orders that reach their statutory two-year maximum.