Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department plans to take to assess the impact of mandatory reporting requirements contained within the Crime and Policing Act on (a) young people’s engagement with clinical sexual health services and (b) wider sexual health outcomes in young people.

This Government remains firmly committed to tackling all forms of child sexual abuse. The new mandatory reporting duty we are working to implement will be a vital step in safeguarding children more effectively across a range of institutions and settings.

The mandatory reporting duty will be building on existing statutory safeguarding responsibilities. These measures will not remove the ability of young people to access healthcare or advice, nor should they displace the established principles which govern the provision of confidential care.

Professionals are already required to clearly explain the limits of such confidentiality, including situations in which information must be shared in order to safeguard a child or others. We are confident that when handled sensitively, this can support informed engagement rather than undermine trust in services. The duty, once commenced, will require only that information is shared with the appropriate authorities, who can then assess the circumstances and respond proportionately to safeguard and support those involved.

We will continue to engage across government and with stakeholders to help manage the implementation of the new duty to ensure readiness and compliance for when the duty comes into effect in 2027.