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 under the influence of alcohol 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 has toughened the law by closing loopholes relating to breath tests conducted by the police.

The number of people breathalysed by police from 2008 to 2012 (the latest available) can be viewed in table 1. Data for 2013 is planned for publication in April 2015, and data for 2014 is planned for publication in April 2016. 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 number of offenders found guilty of driving under the influence of alcohol or refusing a test in England and Wales, from 2009 to 2013 (the latest available) can be viewed in Table 2. Court proceedings data for 2014 are planned for publication in spring 2015