Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people were convicted of domestic abuse offences after having being previously convicted of domestic abuse offences in each of the last ten years for which data is available.

The Ministry of Justice does not hold the data requested centrally and information could only be identified by manually searching case records at disproportionate cost. Offences involving domestic abuse can take various forms and are prosecuted under the offence in law that best reflects their nature and circumstances, for example, harassment. These offences can take the form of domestic abuse or non-domestic abuse and data collected centrally from courts does not distinguish between the two.

The Government is committed to tackling this abhorrent crime, demonstrated by our landmark Domestic Abuse Act passed last year, bringing in important new protections and support for victims in court and creating new offences such as of non-fatal strangulation and suffocation. Building on the Act, the Tackling Domestic Abuse Plan published in March seeks to transform the whole of society’s response in order to prevent offending, support victims and pursue perpetrators, as well as to strengthen the systems processes in place needed to deliver these goals.

In May, we published our draft Victims Bill and wider package of measures, to put victims at the heart of the criminal justice system. The Bill will amplify victims’ voices and entitlements, strengthen transparency and the oversight of victims’ treatment by criminal justice agencies, and improve support for victims.