The Lord Advocate Elish Angiolini has reported that a series of 50 recommendations made following a review of the prosecution of sexual offences have all been implemented.

"We embarked on a root and branch review of the investigation and prosecution of sexual offences, and in 2006, I committed to implementing its recommendations within three years," she said at the Crown Office & Procurator Fiscal Service' conference on sexual crime in Glasgow.

"Today I can confirm that all 50 recommendations have been implemented, and I am confident that we have already made profound changes in the way that we investigate and prosecute sexual crimes. But the more we learn about sexual crime, the more we begin to understand the scale of the task. That is why it is so important that the review is seen as a catalyst for further work, including the establishment of our new National Sexual Crimes Unit.

"This dedicated team of specialist Crown Counsel and Procurators Fiscal has now begun directing investigations into serious sexual crime from the earliest stages, using expert knowledge to ensure these prosecutions run as effectively as possible. I am confident that the national unit will play a crucial role as part of our ongoing efforts to improve the investigation and prosecution of sexual crimes across Scotland."

Scotland's rape conviction rate is currently 3.7%.