Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many victims of harassment or stalking have had proceedings against them in family courts initiated by the perpetrator of that staling or harassment in England and Wales in 2014 and 2015.

The Government is clear that stalking and harassment are totally unacceptable. That is why we have recently announced that there will be a new civil stalking protection order, to support victims of stalking at an earlier stage that address the perpetrators behaviour before it becomes entrenched.

We do not hold data on how many victims of stalking or harassment have been involved in family proceedings initiated by the perpetrator of the abuse. The court do have powers to deal with unmeritorious claims and applications. The court can strike out any action it views as an abuse of process or issue an order restricting the litigants ability to continue with further applications or claims, either of its own motion or on request by a party to the proceedings.

We continue to work with the judiciary to consider what additional protections may be necessary for victims of stalking or harassment.