The report of the Inspectorate of Probation (HMIP) thematic review titled 'A thematic review of probation recall culture and practice' was published in November 2020. This was the second part of the review which the Secretary of State had asked the Chief Inspector of Probation to undertake, following the conviction of Joseph McCann for a series of sexual offences committed in 2019. A link to the report is here: A thematic review of probation recall culture and practice (justiceinspectorates.gov.uk).

In December 2023, following a commission by the Secretary of State to the Inspectorate in response to the Justice Select Committee IPP inquiry report, HMIP published a report titled ‘A thematic inspection of imprisonment for public protection (IPP) recall decisions’. A link to this report is here: A thematic inspection of imprisonment for public protection (IPP) recall decisions (justiceinspectorates.gov.uk).

In both reports, the Inspectorate found that the Probation Service were taking proportionate and necessary decisions to recall offenders on licence for public protection.

I regularly meet with the Chair and CEO of the Parole Board and have discussed changes proposed in the Victims and Prisoners Bill.

The Parole Board is also represented on the IPP External Stakeholder Challenge Group, which meets quarterly and is chaired by an Executive Director within HMPPS. The Group was established to enable representatives of independent bodies and organisations to feed into the IPP Progression Board and hold HMPPS to account for its delivery of the IPP Action Plan.

Figures on the number of serious further offences committed (convictions) up to 2021/22 are published annually, which can be accessed at the following link. Serious_Further_Offences_bulletin_2023.pdf (publishing.service.gov.uk). Figures for 2022/23 will be published in October 2024.

Figures are published based on the date of SFO notification (charge) received by HMPPS. The lag between the date of publication and the conviction figures is to allow time for most cases to complete the criminal justice process.

Figures for the number of serious further offence reviews completed by the probation Service are published annually, which can be accessed at the following link. Serious_Further_Offences_bulletin_2023.pdf (publishing.service.gov.uk). The review figures are available by financial year up to 31 March 2023.

Serious further offences are incredibly rare, with fewer than 0.5% of offenders supervised by the Probation Service going on to commit serious further offences but each one is investigated fully so we can take action where necessary. We have also injected extra funding of more than £155 million a year into the Probation Service to deliver tougher supervision, reduce caseloads and recruit thousands more staff to keep the public safer.

The End-to-End Rape Review Report and Action Plan (published June 2021) set out a public ambition to more than double the number of adult rape cases reaching court by the end of this Parliament.

It is positive to see that we are making steady and sustained progress on this ambition and that we are currently on-track to reach our ambition for all three Rape Review metrics, with the latest figures (Jul – Sep 2022) showing a continued increase in the number of adult rape referrals, charges, and Crown Court receipts:

• There were 999 total police referrals, up by 117% compared to the quarterly average in 2019 (461), when the Rape Review was commissioned.
• There were 473 CPS charges, up by 94% compared to the 2019 quarterly average (244).
• There were 467 Crown Court receipts, up by 102% compared to the 2019 quarterly average (231).

The number of people convicted of an adult rape offence also went up by 65 percent over the past year (from 323 in the year to June 2021 to 532 in the year to June 2022). Compared to the pre-pandemic year, convictions are up by 41 percent (from 377 in the year to June 2019 to 532 in the year to June 2022).

We are continuing to deliver the Action Plan by:

• Launching a new 24/7 support line for victims of rape and sexual abuse on 7 December 2022, meaning every victim can now access free, confidential emotional support whenever and wherever they need it.
• Completed the rollout of pre-recorded cross-examination for victims of sexual and modern slavery offences to all Crown Courts in England and Wales in September 2022. This will spare victims the glare of a live courtroom trial.
• The Police and Crown Prosecution Service are rolling out a new investigatory model for rape, which focuses on the suspect’s - rather than the victim’s - behaviour, called Operation Soteria. This has begun operating across nineteen police forces, with a national rollout ready from June 2023. In December 2022 we published an independent academic report outlining initial findings from the first year of the Operation.
• Announcing the start of a Specialist Sexual Violence Support project in three Crown Courts centres in Leeds, Newcastle, and Snaresbrook London. This project is aimed squarely at doing better by victims; ensuring that they have the support they need at the court stage and get the justice they deserve.
• Introducing a raft of measures to speed up justice for victims and improve their experience in the justice system since the start of the pandemic, including unlimited sitting days, Nightingale courts and increasing Magistrates’ Courts sentencing powers.
• Publishing the response to the Home Office consultation on police requests for third party material on 20 January 2023, which included a commitment to legislate, when Parliamentary time allows, to ensure all police requests, including counselling notes, are necessary and proportionate.
• Recommissioning the Rape and Sexual Abuse Fund, with the grant funding competition opening on 13 January 2023.
• More than quadrupling victims funding by 2024/25, up from £41 million in 2009/10, which will enable us to increase the number of Independent Sexual and Domestic Abuse Advisors by 300 to over 1,000 – a 43% increase over the next three years.
• Continuing to publish regular iterations of the Criminal Justice System (CJS) Delivery Data Dashboard, previously named the CJS scorecard, to increase transparency, increase understanding of the justice system and support collaboration, particularly at a local level through Local Criminal Justice Boards (LCJBs).
• We have recruited 16,753 officers as part of the Police Uplift Programme as of January 2023 and we are on track to recruit 20,000 by 31 March 2023.
• In the last financial year CPS RASSO units have increased by 20% (from 360 to 433 FTE). The CPS are committed to recruiting an additional 194 RASSO staff in 2022/2023 and have delivered over 100 RASSO legal training courses, attended by over 1000 CPS colleagues.

We regularly publish our progress on delivery of the action plan, through six-monthly progress updates, with the most recent report being published in December 2022. The next report is due to be published in June 2023.

Murder convictions must attract a mandatory life sentence. Schedule 21 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 (now Schedule 21 of the Sentencing Act 2020) introduced statutory guidance to be applied by the independent courts when setting the minimum term of imprisonment, which is followed by release on licence.

The Government regularly reviews Schedule 21, most recently as part of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 which expanded the list of whole life order (WLO) starting points to include the premediated murder of a child and enabled judges to impose a WLO on those aged 18-20 in exceptional circumstances.

Furthermore, in 2021 the Government commissioned an independent expert, Clare Wade KC, to undertake a review of domestic homicide sentencing. The review was delivered to the department in June 2022 and the Government is carefully considering its recommendations and next steps.

The Government has no plans to review the law on assisted dying. It remains our view that any change to the law in this sensitive area is a matter for Parliament to decide and an issue of conscience for individual parliamentarians rather than one for Government policy.

The Health and Social Care Select Committee launched an inquiry on assisted dying on 5 December and the Government will consider the Committee’s report in due course.

Last year the government commissioned an independent expert, Clare Wade KC, to undertake a review of domestic homicide sentencing. The Terms of Reference stated that the review would be submitted to the Secretary of State for Justice by the end of 2021 and that we would then consider the review and its recommendations before determining whether further consultation is needed or publishing the report.

The independent reviewer required more time than anticipated to complete the review and it was delivered to the department in June this year. The Review examines a number of important and complex issues. Therefore prior to publication of the review and response, the government is carefully considering its recommendations and next steps.

This government is fully committed to ensuring that the sentencing framework responds appropriately to cases of domestic homicide and that sentences reflect the severity of these crimes.

Last year, the government commissioned an independent expert, Clare Wade KC, to undertake a review of domestic homicide sentencing. The review was delivered to the department in June this year.

The Review examines a number of important and complex issues. Therefore prior to publication, the government is carefully considering its recommendations and next steps.

This government is fully committed to ensuring that the sentencing framework responds appropriately to cases of domestic homicide and that sentences reflect the severity of these crimes.

The information requested on the number of deaths at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and the number of patients who waited for more than two hours is not held centrally. No specific review of recent standards of performance of West Midlands Ambulance Service is planned.

We have met with representatives from the Thyroid Trust and Thyroid UK to discuss prescription guidelines relating to Liothyronine.

As reflected in the Life Sciences Vision, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence is introducing a number of changes to ensure that its methods and processes are fairer, more consistent and accelerate the introduction of emerging technologies.

There are 71 community diagnostic centres (CDCs) currently operational. We have announced £2.3 billion to increase this to 160 sites by 2024/2025. We will regularly review the performance of existing CDCs and the future development of further locations.

The ‘Delivery plan for tackling the COVID-19 backlog of elective care’ includes the ambitions for CDCs, developed with Royal Colleges, patient groups and health charities, to ensure the plan reflects population and service needs.

NHS Pathways includes specific questions designed to determine if any blood has been coughed up by a patient. These questions are continually reviewed in order to enhance and refine the product. The NHS Pathways team is currently reviewing whether asking a caller about ‘pink frothy sputum (or phlegm)’ in the relevant symptomatic pathways is required in the context of the wider critical illness assessment.

Dr Goldacre will conclude his review in April and it will be published as soon as possible following its completion.

It is normal practice to review the performance of all companies owned by the Department, which includes Supply Chain Coordination Limited (SCCL), to assure operational performance and strategic fit. The Department is currently considering the conclusions of the internal review work that it has undertaken in respect of SCCL.

A number of stakeholders have been consulted in assessing the service, stakeholder requirements and opportunities for the Company’s strategic direction.

The NHS England and NHS Improvement Clinically-led Review of Access Standards is still underway. The existing National Health Service performance standards remain in place, and the Government will respond to the recommendations for change when they are made.

The scope of the review of NHS Property Services Limited is an update of the strategic context and justification for the company delivery model; a review of the Company’s operational and financial performance; and both with reference to changes to the role and function of the Department since the formation of the company in 2013.

National Health Service trusts and foundation trusts occupy about a third of NHS Property Services’ estate as tenants. The Company provides facilities management and other estates services to these properties; the trusts provide elements of these services to NHS Property Services themselves in many cases and these may be delivered through Wholly Owned Subsidiary Companies in areas where these have been established. It is for individual NHS trusts to decide on the best contracting model for the delivery of these services.

The scope of the review of NHS Property Services Limited is an update of the strategic context and justification for the company delivery model; a review of the Company’s operational and financial performance; and both with reference to changes to the role and function of the Department since the formation of the company in 2013.

National Health Service trusts and foundation trusts occupy about a third of NHS Property Services’ estate as tenants. The Company provides facilities management and other estates services to these properties; the trusts provide elements of these services to NHS Property Services themselves in many cases and these may be delivered through Wholly Owned Subsidiary Companies in areas where these have been established. It is for individual NHS trusts to decide on the best contracting model for the delivery of these services.

a) The decline in the number of rape and serious sexual offences reaching court and being charged and prosecuted has, rightly, been the subject of public scrutiny and concern. It is essential that we grasp this issue, which is why the Criminal Justice Board (CJB) has committed to a cross-government end-to-end review of the Criminal Justice System’s (CJS) response to serious sexual violence and rape where the victim is over 18. We have established a Sub-Group of the CJB to oversee this review.

The review is now well underway. The Cabinet Office have concluded initial analysis to identify key areas that merit further investigation. We are now gathering evidence and data from key groups and agencies across the CJS to enable us to better understand how handling and outcomes for rape cases could be improved. We continue to engage regularly with specialist stakeholders and victim organisations to ensure that the victim experience is central to our work.

We have committed to publish a cross-system action plan at the conclusion of the review in Spring 2020. In efforts to accelerate the review, we will develop a set of interim recommendations before the end of the year.

b) The review is being conducted by a cross-Government team comprised of officials from the Home Office, Ministry of Justice, Attorney General’s Office and Crown Prosecution Service, with support from the National Policing Lead for Adult Sexual Offences.

c) Rape is a horrendous crime. It is essential that victims of rape have access to support when and where they need it most. In March this year we increased funding available to these essential services by 10% - up to £8m per year and totalling £24m over the next three years. This funding ensures that, for the first time, that there are government-funded services in all 42 of the country’s Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) areas. This is in addition to the £68m we allocate to PCCs to locally deliver support services for victims of crime, including for victims of sexual violence.