Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of establishing a publicly searchable register of individuals convicted of sexual offences.

There are no plans to create a public sex offender registry. The current system allows for targeted disclosures where necessary to manage risk and protect individuals.

Through the Crime and Policing Bill, we are introducing a range of legislative changes to strengthen the management of registered sex offenders. This gives the Home Secretary a power to publish statutory guidance for police on disclosing information to prevent sexual harm. By putting sexual harm disclosure schemes on a statutory footing, their implementation will be more consistent nationally, ensuring a uniform approach to protecting the public.

Making information publicly available would undermine this approach, risk exposing victims, and make it harder for offenders to be monitored by the police and other agencies. Existing legal frameworks already provide effective safeguards and disclosure mechanisms where appropriate.