Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many victims of domestic violence have had an application for legal aid denied when applying for a non-molestation order in each year since 2010.
Legal aid is available to obtain an injunction to protect survivors of domestic violence. This is not subject to any upper means limit; applicants cannot be found financially ineligible for this form of support. Applications are subject to a merits test to assess their suitability for legal aid funding. Please note that volumes relate to applications for legal aid and not individual applicants; an individual may submit more than one application for public funding. Less than 1.4% of applications for legal aid for a non-molestation order were refused since 2010. Less than 7% of applications for an occupation order were refused since 2010.
Applications for legal aid for occupation orders and non-molestation orders:
| OCCUPATION ORDERS | |
YEAR | APPLICATIONS | REFUSALS |
2010-2011 | 715 | 27 |
2011-2012 | 524 | 21 |
2012-2013 | 600 | 35 |
2013-2014 | 208 | 15 |
2014-2015 | 215 | 8 |
2015-2016 | 243 | 13 |
2016-2017 | 354 | 27 |
2017-2018 | 301 | 25 |
2018-2019 | 373 | 44 |
2019-2020 | 332 | 42 |
2020-2021 | 321 | 32 |
| NON-MOLESTATION ORDERS | |
YEAR | APPLICATIONS | REFUSALS |
2010-2011 | 11,649 | 35 |
2011-2012 | 10,520 | 14 |
2012-2013 | 11,495 | 25 |
2013-2014 | 15,261 | 68 |
2014-2015 | 14,121 | 131 |
2015-2016 | 13,461 | 132 |
2016-2017 | 13,251 | 235 |
2017-2018 | 13,399 | 307 |
2018-2019 | 13,189 | 406 |
2019-2020 | 16,148 | 391 |
2020-2021 | 21,790 | 403 |