Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) successful and (b) unsuccessful applications for legal aid have been made by victims of domestic violence in each of the last 10 years.
Prior to 2013, when people applied for legal aid they were not asked to declare whether domestic violence had occurred. Since 2013, applications for legal aid do not routinely request this information as it is not relevant to legal aid provision in all categories of case. Therefore the data you request is not available.
People seeking protective injunctions, like restraining orders, remain eligible for legal aid. Legal aid also remains available in private family cases that involve domestic violence. We have listened closely to any concerns about how the system has been operating, and made changes in response, such as making it easier to prove abuse and so get legal aid.