Rape: Criminal Proceedings

Mr. Garnier
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the existence and effect of prejudice among (a) the police, (b) the Crown Prosecution Service, (c) criminal lawyers, (d) the judiciary and (e) juries towards rape and sexual assault victims.

Mr. Alan Campbell
I have been asked to reply.

The Government are determined to tackle the barriers to the successful prosecution of rape cases and set out its plans for doing so in the cross-Government Action Plan on Sexual Violence and Abuse published in 2007.

No assessment has been made on the existence of prejudice within the criminal justice agencies, the judiciary or juries however action has been taken to ensure that policies on rape investigation and prosecution are translated into practice.