To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many former members of the armed forces were taken into custody following a conviction for a violent offence in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. (232294)

We are unable to identify the occupation of an offender from the courts proceedings database. As such, we cannot tell the number of ex-service personnel that were convicted and sentenced to immediate custody for violent offences.

Data from nationally representative surveys of some 2000 sentenced prisoners near release conducted in 2001, 2003 and 2004 show the proportion of prisoners who had previously served in the armed forces as 6 per cent. 4 per cent. and 5 per cent. respectively.