§ Mr. LeighTo ask the Attorney-General what official changes in prosecution policy were made in respect of the offences of(a) buggery, (b) indecent assault on a male, (c) indecency between males, (d) rape, (e) indecent assault on a female, (f) unlawful sexual intercourse with a girl under 13 years, (g) unlawful sexual intercourse with a girl under 16 years, (h) incest and (i) gross indecency with a child, between 1987 and 1997. [75033]
The Attorney-GeneralThe Crown Prosecution Service reviews and prosecutes all cases in accordance with the principles set out in the Code for Crown Prosecutors, issued under section 10 of the Prosecution of Offences Act 1985. The provisions of the Code are set out in the Director of Public Prosecution's Annual Report, copies of which are in the Library of the House. The Code, first published in 1986, was subsequently revised in 1992 and again in 1994. The 1994 edition of the Code simplifies the language of the Code; it clarifies the evidential criterion and the public interest factors in favour of a prosecution.
The general principles set out in the Code for Crown Prosecutors are supported by internal CPS guidance. The internal guidance is not presently in the public domain. In any event, tracing its development over the period covered by the question would not be practical and would involve a disproportionate cost.