Select committee: Home Affairs Committee
Recommendation 10
Eighth Report - Investigation and prosecution of rape
Published 12 Apr 2022
Paragraph 77
Addressed to Home Office
Home Affairs Committee Investigation and prosecution of rape All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Recommendation (the committee's words)
We agree with HMICFRS and HMCPSI that the Government should consider the merits of either establishing a dedicated commissioner for sexual violence and abuse or expanding the existing responsibilities and powers of one of our existing commissioners. The relevant commissioner could then oversee the provision of specialist support services for victims and survivors of sexual violence and abuse, as well as any mapping exercise. Importantly, they could also act to hold the Government and its operational partners to account in improving the response to rape and serious sexual assault. Any change must be backed by adequate resourcing and any future commissioner must have appropriate powers as well. The Domestic Abuse Commissioner’s powers, as laid out in the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, could be a good model, with the Act requiring public sector authorities to cooperate with her and to respond to relevant recommendations she puts forward.
From: Home Affairs Committee, Eighth Report - Investigation and prosecution of rape (HC 193), paragraph 77, 12 April 2022
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 25 July 2022 (deadline 12 June 2022).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government's response to the Committee's report says it has made "important progress" under its Rape Review Action Plan, and it agrees with some recommendations while stating that others are for Chief Constables, the judiciary or ongoing work to determine.
- On governance, it "welcome[s] and agree[s]" with the recommendation to write to the Committee every six months, in line with the cycle of Rape Review Progress Update publications.
- On specialist police rape teams, it "agrees that specialism is crucial" but says Chief Constables "remain best placed to make decisions about the local deployment of resources".
- On a sexual violence commissioner, it recognises "there may be benefits", says the Home Office and Ministry of Justice are considering the recommendation, and will "update the Committee on progress in due course".
- On Operation Soteria, it commits £5m this year, with a national operating model for rape investigation "by June 2023", though adoption "will be a decision for operationally independent forces".