Question follow-through · 46175
Rape
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of updating the Sexual Offences Act 2003 to reflect that rape can be committed by either sex.
About this written question
A written question asks a government minister for information in writing. Parliament publishes the question and any answer.
- Answering body
- Ministry of Justice
- Tabled
- 17 Apr 2025
- Target answer date
- 23 Apr 2025
- Answer
- 28 Apr 2025 · 11 calendar days after tabling
Elapsed calendar days describe the record timeline, not whether Parliament considers an answer on time.
More questions by this MP on Justice and policing
- Ministry of Justice: ICT · 30 Apr 2025
- HMP Littlehey: Prison Accommodation · 15 May 2025
- Prisons: Construction · 20 May 2025
- Prison Accommodation · 20 May 2025
- Prisons: Construction · 4 Jun 2025
Shared topic keywords suggest a connection; they do not establish a follow-up.
Votes on this topic
- Opposition Day: Early release of prisoners · 7 Jul 2026
These Commons divisions share a topic label. The question did not necessarily lead to a vote.
Recorded timeline
17 Apr 2025
Question tabled
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of updating the Sexual Offences Act 2003 to reflect that rape can be committed by either sex.
23 Apr 2025
Target answer date
Date supplied by the official written-questions record.
28 Apr 2025
Answer published
The offence of rape under section 1 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 is committed whenever there is penile penetration without consent or reasonable belief in consent. Non-penile penetration without consent or reasonable belief in consent is criminalised b...
Official data retrieved 28 Sept 2026.
Later records
Possible follow-up questions
Strong links require the same MP, department and exact heading. Other same-department questions are shown as unreviewed candidates, not as confirmed follow-ups. No debate link is asserted unless a stable source relationship exists.
Ministry of Justice: ICT
30 Apr 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many staff in her Department have been issued with a (a) laptop, (b) phone and (c) both.
HMP Littlehey: Prison Accommodation
15 May 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prison spaces are (a) available and (b) projected to be available at HMP Littlehey over the next three years; and what the maximum capacity is at that prison.
Prisons: Construction
20 May 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) Category A, (b) Category B, (c) Category C and (d) Category D prison spaces her Department plans to build by 2031 as part of the Prison Capacity Strategy.
Prison Accommodation
20 May 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prison spaces were available across all Category C specialist sex offender prisons as of 30 April 2025.
Prisons: Construction
4 Jun 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 2 June 2025 to Question 53712 on Prisons: Construction, how many Category A prison places she plans to be built as part of the Prison Capacity Strategy.
Prison Officers: Protective Clothing
29 Aug 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what stab vests are issued to prison officers.
Prison Officers: Protective Clothing
29 Aug 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prison officers require stab vests due to the danger of the prisoners in their charge.
Crimes of Violence
29 Aug 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to page 25 of the National Security Strategy 2025, published on 24 June 2025, if she will take legislative steps to introduce a new offence for (a) acts preparatory to extreme violence and (b) indi
Electronic Tagging
29 Aug 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent progress she has made on the electronic monitoring expansion programme.
Prison Accommodation
29 Aug 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what progress she has made on the Rapid Deployment Cells project.
Prison Accommodation
29 Aug 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many of the 14,000 additional prison places will be delivered through the Rapid Deployment Cells project.
Prison Accommodation
29 Aug 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent progress she has made on the Small Secure Houseblocks programme.