Abortion

House of Lords written question – answered at on 14 October 2013.

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Photo of Lord Alton of Liverpool Lord Alton of Liverpool Crossbench

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the decision by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) not to take action against individuals willing to abort unborn babies on the grounds of their gender, what guidelines the CPS uses to decide whether or not to take action in cases which it deems to be political or sensitive.

Photo of Lord Wallace of Tankerness Lord Wallace of Tankerness Lords Spokesperson (Attorney General's Office), The Advocate-General for Scotland, Lords Spokesperson (Scotland Office), Liberal Democrat Leader in the House of Lords

Decisions about whether or not to prosecute are taken in accordance with the two stage test set out in the Code for Crown Prosecutors. Firstly, is there sufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction and, if so, is a prosecution required in the public interest?

The CPS also has guidance and policy across a wide range of serious and sensitive areas. This can be found on the CPS website. The Director of Public Prosecutions retains close oversight of especially serious and sensitive cases and will commonly ensure that such cases are closely supervised through the holding of Director's Case Management Panels.

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