Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many specialist domestic violence courts have closed since 2010.

From April 2010 Local Criminal Justice Boards (LCJBs) took responsibility for the governance and performance management of the 143 accredited Specialist Domestic Violence Courts (SDVCs) across England and Wales. As of March 2014 there were 137 accredited SDVCs. However, the closure of SDVCs in some areas does not necessarily mean that provision in that area has ceased, as many of the SDVC systems cover a number of courthouses. Closure of an SDVC in one courthouse would simply mean that the case would be heard in another accredited courthouse within the Local Justice Area.

HMCTS remains committed to a partnership approach to supporting domestic violence victims going through the Criminal Justice Process.