Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many applications for special measures for vulnerable witnesses to give evidence in court proceedings on child abuse cases were (a) received, (b) denied and (c) denied because of lack of facilities in 2018-19.

Special measures applications received, refused, and their reasons for refusal are recorded in part, but HMCTS management information systems does not hold the data needed to answer the question. The information requested is not held centrally and can only be obtained at a disproportionate cost.