Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people were (a) breathalysed and (b) convicted of driving while under the influence of alcohol in December in each of the last five years.

Driving offences can have very serious and sometimes devastating consequences for victims and their families. That is why the Government is toughened the law by closing loopholes relating to breath tests conducted by the police.

The number of breath tests carried out by police in England and Wales between 2008 and 2012, the latest year available, and the number of tests that were positive or refused is set out in the table below. For reporting purposes the Home Office does not differentiate between ‘positive’ and ‘refused’ breathe tests. If an individual refuses a breath test, this is an offence which carries the same maximum penalty as a positive breath test.

The table below sets out the total number of offenders found guilty of drink driving offences in England and Wales per year between 2009 and 2013 (the latest year available) and in December of each year.