Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) prosecutions and (b) convictions there were for covid-19 related offences in England and Wales in 2021.

The Ministry of Justice has published information on prosecutions and convictions for covid-19 related offences, in England and Wales, up to December 2021, in the ‘Outcomes by Offence’ data tool, available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1076459/outcomes-by-offence-tool-2021-v2.xlsx.

In the “Prosecutions and Convictions” worksheet, use the Home Office offence code filter to select the following offences:

• 16857 - Failure to comply with screening restriction/requirement (coronavirus)
• 16858 - Operator of Port fails to comply with direction under Coronavirus Act 2020
• 16859 - Offences by potentially infectious persons (coronavirus)
• 16860 - Breach of emergency period restrictions (coronavirus)
• 16861 - Offences in relation to events and gatherings (coronavirus)

Figures for prosecutions and convictions populate rows 24 and 25 respectively.