§ Lord Ashbourneasked Her Majesty's Government:
In view of the fact that in 1995 84,659 girls under the legal age of consent were provided with contraceptives by their GP or birth control clinic, 8,000 of whom subsequently became pregnant, why the law was enforced, under Sections 5 and 6 of the Sexual Offences Act 1956, in only 195 cases for girls under 16, and 77 cases for girls under 13. [HL173]
§ Lord Williams of MostynThe number of prosecutions under Sections 5 and 6 of the Sexual Offences Act 1956 forms only part of the picture. The prosecuting authorities can only take action after an offence has been reported to the police and investigated. The number of prosecutions for these offences in 1995 reflects the number of offences notified to the police in that year.
In 1995 the police recorded 178 complaints of unlawful sexual intercourse with a girl under 13 contrary to Section 5 of the 1956 Act. In 122 cases, the offender was cautioned or found guilty at a court as a result. Of the recorded 1,260 complaints of unlawful sexual intercourse with a girl under 16 contrary to Section 6 of the 1956 Act, 9WA 603 offenders were cautioned or found guilty at court. These figures demonstrate that when the prosecuting authorities become aware of an allegation of such an offence, they treat it seriously.
Although the number of complaints made to the police and the number of prosecutions have reduced over recent years, the proportion of complaints that result in a caution or conviction has remained fairly constant.