Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many unwilling parties to a forced marriage have twice been prevented from such a marriage by the Forced Marriage Unit since it was set up.

We made forced marriage a criminal offence in 2014 to better protect victims and send a clear message that this abhorrent practice is totally unacceptable and will not be tolerated in the UK. In addition, Forced Marriage Protection Orders (FMPOs) are available to protect those at risk and may include forbidding a person to be taken overseas, or ordering that they be returned to the UK.

The jointly led Home Office and Foreign and Commonwealth Office Forced Marriage Unit (FMU) leads the Government's forced marriage policy, outreach and casework. In 2015 the FMU provided to people in the UK and abroad advice or support related to a possible forced marriage in 1,220 cases. This includes direct support to victims and advice to agencies on supporting victims of forced marriage, including help received by forced marriage victims abroad who return to the UK.

Figures on the number of cases reported to the FMU are published annually and are available on GOV.UK. Information on repeat cases is not collated centrally.