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 in relation to an application for an occupation 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 |