Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people have been convicted of cruelty to persons under 16 under the provisions of Section 1(1) of the Children and Young Persons Act 1933 at each magistrates' and Crown court in the North West in 2014.

Protecting children from harm is a Government priority. All children should be able to grow up in a safe, happy environment. The focus must be on early intervention as we know that the earlier that help and support is given to vulnerable children and families, the more chance there is of turning their lives around, protecting children from harm and preventing problems escalating into child cruelty.

However, where that is not possible, tough legislation is in place to punish offenders for this intolerable behaviour. This includes the offence of child cruelty at section 1 of the Children and Young Persons Act 1933. The Government has recently updated and clarified this offence, in particular to make it absolutely clear that cruelty which causes psychological suffering or injury is covered by it. These changes to section 1 of the 1933 Act are made by section 66 of the Serious Crime Act 2015, which was given Royal Assent on 3 March.

Court proceedings data for the calendar year 2014 are due for publication in May 2015.