To ask the Minister of Justice to detail (i) the number of reported incidences of serious sexual offences in Northern Ireland in each of the past five years; and (ii) her assessment of these in comparison with the statistics for England, Wales and Scotland.

The recording of information on the number of reported incidents of serious sexual offences and associated statistics is a matter for the Chief Constable, who is accountable to the Northern Ireland Policing Board. I am committed to respecting the operational independence of the Chief Constable and the role of the Northern Ireland Policing Board.

You may, therefore, wish to direct your question to the PSNI.