To ask the Minister for Women and Equality how many recorded incidents of domestic violence there have been in (a) Bassetlaw and (b) Nottinghamshire in each of the last three years; and how many of these resulted in a successful prosecution. (250763)

[holding answer 26 January 2009]: Government figures from 2006-07 and 2007-08 show the number of domestic violence cases being reported has increased. This is a testament to the growing confidence victims have that they will be listened to and their reports effectively investigated coupled with the specialist and practical support victims receive.

The available data on domestic violence incidents are based on domestic violence arrest rates taken from the Statutory Performance Indicators (SPI 8a) suite used in police force performance assessments for 2007-08. The following table shows the number of recorded incidents of domestic violence in Nottinghamshire for each of the last three years. The Government do not hold discrete figures for Bassetlaw.

The following table shows the outcome of prosecutions for domestic violence from the records held by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). The figures are for Nottinghamshire as a whole. No discrete figures are held in respect of Bassetlaw.

The figures represent the number of defendants whose case was completed in each year and are divided into convictions, (including guilty pleas), and unsuccessful outcomes which represent all outcomes other than where a conviction is recorded.

There has been an improvement in the proportion of post-charge proceedings for domestic violence resulting in a conviction over recent years. Nationally, convictions increased from 63.5 per cent. of completed cases in 2006 to 72 per cent. in 2008. The improvement in CPS Nottinghamshire over the same period was from 59.7 per cent. to 69.1 per cent.