Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many times have registered sex offenders (a) attempted to change their names and (b) been prevented from changing their names by legal means in the last two years.

Registered sex offenders are required to notify name changes to the police. Failure to do so is an offence punishable by up to five years’ imprisonment. In addition, the police – on application to a court – can limit an individual’s ability to change their name through a Sexual Harm Prevention or Sexual Risk Order if necessary to protect members of the public from sexual harm.

Data related to name changes for these offenders and conditions imposed via civil orders are not collated centrally.

To help ensure our system is as robust as it can be, the Home Office will bring forward measures through the Criminal Justice Bill to restrict the ability of registered sex offenders to change their name in certain circumstances.