Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that victims of rape and serious sexual offences receive accurate and timely information about the progress of criminal investigations, as set out in the Victims’ Code.

The Government is committed to ensuring that victims of rape and serious sexual offences receive the information they are entitled to under the Victims’ Code. The Code requires criminal justice agencies to keep victims informed about the progress of their case, including key decisions and developments, such as the arrest or charge of a suspect. These updates must normally be provided within five working days, but victims of the most serious crimes, including rape and serious sexual offences, are entitled to Enhanced Rights and should receive updates within one working day.

We recently consulted on a draft new Victims’ Code and sought views on measures to improve the quality and timeliness of communication with victims, the right points and methods to communicate routine updates and more sensitive updates, and on innovative communication options. The consultation closed on 30 April, and we are considering nearly 200 responses ahead of publishing a Government response and bringing a new Code into force.

The Victims and Prisoners Act 2024 also creates a framework to monitor certain criminal justice agencies’ compliance with the Victims’ Code, with duties on those agencies to collect and share information on compliance. Once commenced, the framework will introduce local scrutiny and national oversight of compliance with the Victims' Code. The Victims and Courts Act 2026 strengthened the powers of the Victims’ Commissioner within the framework by requiring the Commissioner to produce their own report on Code compliance, to enable independent oversight of criminal justice agencies’ compliance with the Code.

The Government has also announced a pilot of a single point of contact for victims of rape and sexual offences during the court process, due to begin in 2027, to help ensure they receive information and support as their case progresses. This is part of a wider package of measures to improve the experience of victims of rape and serious sexual offences, including introducing specialist courtrooms, trauma informed training for HMCTS court staff, and the prioritisation of rape and serious sexual offence cases by the judiciary.