A NORTH-EAST MP will today launch an inquiry into why women are being failed by the criminal justice system.

Redcar MP Vera Baird wants to see changes to the law to prevent rape victims being questioned in court about their past sexual history.

She is chairing an independent commission set up by the Fawcett Society to consider whether methods of investigating and prosecuting rape need to be overhauled.

Ms Baird, a senior barrister, said yesterday that too few rapists were being convicted.

"The conviction rate in rape cases is just 7.35 per cent," she said.

"But 90 per cent of women do not complain at all to the authorities after being raped or sexually assaulted. We know that from the numbers who ring rape helplines.

"So, overall, the conviction rate is less than one per cent."

Ms Baird will question ministers on why there are so few convictions for drug-related rape cases.

The Drug Rape Trust has accused the Government of failing to take the problem seriously.

The charity says it has dealt with more than 2,000 cases of drug rape in the past two-and- a-half years, but that only eight attackers have been convicted.

Ms Baird's team, which is yet to be appointed, has a year to put together its report.

Its members will travel around the country talking to women about all aspects of their experience with the criminal justice system, whether as victims, defendants, witnesses or prisoners, before presenting their results to Parliament.

"I am determined that we should come out of London to talk to people. I'm very interested in bringing it to the North-East," she said.

"One of the major issues we will be looking at is domestic violence and there are some very good women's counselling groups in Teesside."

The commission will also consider the effects of female prisoners being jailed far from their families because there are so few women's prisons.

"If I committed a crime in Redcar, I'd be sent to prison in Wakefield," said Ms Baird. "We need to think about that and how it can break up families.