Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, to publish any guidance produced by his Department for people who are advised to seek a non-molestation order.

Non-molestation orders are made by the court to protect individuals from the harm of domestic violence. They can, where necessary, extend to protect children.

Non-molestation applications are either made ‘without notice’ to the respondent, usually if the applicant is seeking immediate protection, or ‘on notice’ to the respondent. The number of non-molestation orders made in each of the last 9 calendar years is shown in table 1 below. The data covers England and Wales.

Table 1: Non-molestation orders made in England and Wales

We do not hold data on how many people have represented themselves when applying for an order.

Her Majesty’s Court and Tribunals Service publish a range of guidance on Gov.Uk including eligibility for obtaining orders, how to apply for an injunction if you've been the victim of domestic violence, how to apply for a non-molestation order and an occupation order and how to serve applications. Links to the guidance are below:

https://www.gov.uk/injunction-domestic-violence/eligibility-non-molestation

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/form-fl401-application-for-a-non-molestation-order-occupation-order