Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what number and proportion of suspects in criminal cases have been bailed to return in each of the last five years.

Since April 2017 the Home Office has collected information on the numbers of individuals released on pre-charge bail by police forces in England and Wales. These data are published as part of the annual ‘Police Powers and Procedures’ statistical release, available in Annex B here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/935355/police-powers-procedures-mar20-hosb3120.pdf

Data are not available on the proportion of suspects in criminal cases that have been bailed to return.

The police retain the ability to use pre-charge bail where necessary and proportionate, including to protect witnesses and victims.