Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Solicitor General, what assessment he has made of the (a) adequacy of the uptake and (b) effectiveness of the Victim Right to Review pilot.

In June 2025 the CPS began a pilot in the West Midlands which offers victims of rape and serious sexual assault the opportunity to have a separate prosecutor review the case before any final decision is taken to stop the case in court. If that prosecutor concludes that the Full Code Test in the Code for Crown Prosecutors is met, the case will continue.

The number of decisions eligible for review under the pilot have so far been low. These volumes have meant an evaluation of the pilot has not been possible to date. Evaluation is essential, and the pilot will continue to allow enough evidence to be gathered to assess its effectiveness.

Consideration is also being given to expanding the pilot to support a thorough evaluation.