Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask Her Majesty's Government how many prosecutions have been brought under the Protection from Eviction Act 1977 for (1) harassment, and (2) unlawful eviction, by each police force in England and Wales in 2020 and 2021.

The Ministry of Justice publishes information on the number of prosecutions, for the years 2017 to 2021, in England and Wales, in the Outcomes by Offence data tool 2021 (MS Excel Spreadsheet, 21 MB). An extract of this tool is provided alongside this response with the requested figures in. Instructions on how to access this data are also included below.

In the Outcomes by Offence data tool:

• Select the ‘Prosecutions and Convictions’ worksheet.

• Filter by HO offence code and select the following offences:

• 08701 - Unlawful eviction of occupier (Contrary to section 1(2) and (4) of the Protection from Eviction Act 1977)

• 08702 - Unlawful harassment of occupier (Contrary to section 1(3A) and (4) of the Protection from Eviction Act 1977)

• Move the Police Force Area filer to the rows area for a breakdown by PFA.

The following HO offence code may also be of interest:

• 08703 - Protection of occupiers against eviction and harassment (S.210 Housing Act 2004 and S.3 Caravan Sites Act 1968)

If the police were to charge a different offence, such as common assault, that would not be included in the attached table.