Written questions by Coombes.

Whether his Department monitors outcomes in family court cases involving domestic abuse to identify patterns of harm arising from (a) repeated and (b) prolonged proceedings.

This Government recognises the significant impact of domestic abuse on children and adult victims involved in Family Court proceedings, which can be exacerbated when proceedings are prolonged. In March 2026, the Government announced the national rollout of the Child Focused Courts. Under the model, victims of domestic abuse receive specialist support from Independent Domestic Violence Advisers. Data from areas with the model shows cases are being resolved up to seven and a half months faster on average. The model reduces the number of cases returning to court, protecting children and families from further trauma.We are closely monitoring metrics and feedback for the courts already operating the Child Focused Model. As expansion progresses, we are working with the Domestic Abuse Commissioner to explore how we can better understand the outcomes for, and experiences of, families in Child Focused Courts.In addition, we are carefully considering the outcomes of the Domestic Abuse Commissioner’s Family Court Review and Reporting Mechanism pilot and will provide further detail as soon as we are able to.

What steps he is taking to prevent the misuse of civil and family court proceedings as a form of post-separation abuse and coercive control.

We are committed to improving experiences and outcomes for children and families, particularly in cases involving domestic abuse. The courts have a range of powers to protect victims of domestic abuse. Where repeated applications may be a continuing form of abuse, courts can make orders meaning the perpetrator would require the prior permission of the court before an application could be made. Alongside this, both the Family and Civil courts can appoint an appropriately qualified person to undertake cross-examination instead of a perpetrator.We are rolling out the Child Focused Model nationally, reforming the procedure to be followed in certain private law children’s proceedings in the Family Court. The model embeds referrals to local, specialist domestic abuse support services where domestic abuse is raised as an issue in the case. Victims of domestic abuse and other harms can receive expert support from an Independent Domestic Violence Adviser who will undertake a risk assessment and can offer support to the victim throughout the court process.The model frontloads information gathering and risk assessment through the introduction of the Child Impact Report which presents an assessment of issues through engagement with the parties, the children and relevant agencies. This approach means that evidence is available to judges earlier in the case and reduces the number of cases returning to court, protecting children and families from further trauma.

How many County Court Judgements were related to vehicle infringements in each of the last five years.

The information requested is not centrally held. It may be held in court records, but to determine that and obtain it would incur disproportionate costs.

How may and what proportion of people awaiting trial for a motoring offence in court commit further driving offences.

The Ministry of Justice does not hold information on the number or proportion of those awaiting trial for a motoring offence who go onto commit a further offence whilst waiting.

What proportion of drivers accused of death by dangerous driving have pleaded exceptional hardship.

The Ministry of Justice publishes data on prosecutions for a wide range of offences, including causing death by dangerous driving in the Outcomes by Offences data tool, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page here: Criminal justice statistics - GOV.UK. The Ministry of Justice does not centrally hold information on those who pleaded exceptional hardship. This information may be held in court records but to examine individual court records would be of disproportionate costs.

What proportion of offenders convicted of (a) dangerous driving, (b) driving under the influence and (c) causing serious (i) injury and (ii) death by (A) careless and (B) dangerous driving have also previously failed to who fail to produce (a) a driving licence, (2) an MOT certificate and (3) insurance certificate.

The Ministry of Justice publishes data on prosecutions for a wide range of offences, including dangerous driving, driving under the influence, and causing serious injury or death by careless and dangerous driving in the Outcomes by Offences data tool, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page here: Criminal justice statistics - GOV.UK. It is not possible to identify those who were convicted of an offence and had been previously convicted for failing to produce either a driving licence, an MOT certificate or insurance certificates. This information may be held in court records but to examine individual court records would be of disproportionate costs.

Pursuant to the Answer given to Question 74060 on Dangerous Driving: Convictions, how many and what percentage of offenders convicted of dangerous driving in each of the last five years had previously been convicted of dangerous driving offences (a) on one occasion and (b) on more than one occasion.

The information requested is provided in the tables attached.Safety on our roads is an absolute priority for this Government. That is why the Department for Transport is committed to delivering a new Road Safety Strategy – the first in over a decade. They will set out the next steps on this in due course.

How many and what proportion of drivers convicted of death by dangerous driving were (a) repeat death by dangerous driving offenders, (b) repeat death by careless driving offenders and (c) repeat dangerous driving offenders in each of the last five years.

The information requested is provided in the tables attached.Safety on our roads is an absolute priority for this Government. That is why the Department for Transport is committed to delivering a new Road Safety Strategy – the first in over a decade. They will set out the next steps on this in due course.

What proportion of people convicted of death by dangerous driving were given a lifetime driving ban in the last 12 months.

Data on convictions and disqualifications (including lifetime bans) for death by dangerous driving offences is published in the Outcomes by Offences data tool, which can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page here: Criminal Justice Statistics. The data can be filtered on the offence and the period of driving disqualification using the sentencing outcomes tab.The Ministry of Justice does not centrally hold information on individuals required to take an extended re-test following a conviction of death by dangerous driving.

What proportion of people convicted of death by dangerous driving did not pass the compulsory extended re-test in the last 12 months; and of these drivers, how many received a lifetime driving ban.

Data on convictions and disqualifications (including lifetime bans) for death by dangerous driving offences is published in the Outcomes by Offences data tool, which can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page here: Criminal Justice Statistics. The data can be filtered on the offence and the period of driving disqualification using the sentencing outcomes tab.The Ministry of Justice does not centrally hold information on individuals required to take an extended re-test following a conviction of death by dangerous driving.

What proportion of drivers who have repeatedly committed driving offences have received a lifetime driving ban.

Data on convictions and lifetime bans for driving offences is published as part of Ministry of Justice data obtained in the Outcomes by Offences data tool, which can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page here: Criminal Justice Statistics. The data can be filtered on the offence and the period of driving disqualification using the sentencing outcomes tab.The Ministry of Justice does not centrally hold information on numbers of offenders who have repeatedly committed driving offences and received a lifetime ban.

What proportion of drivers convicted of (a) dangerous driving and (b) careless driving offences in the last five years were repeat offenders.

The information requested is provided in the tables attached. Safety on our roads is an absolute priority for this Government. That is why the Department for Transport is committed to delivering a new Road Safety Strategy – the first in over a decade. They will set out the next steps on this in due course.

Whether she has made an estimate of the cost of increasing the number of crown court sitting days beyond the original allocation.

Every year, the Government and the Judiciary agree a number of sitting days and an overall budget in what is known as the Concordat process.In June, the Judiciary reached an agreement with the former Lord Chancellor to sit 106,000 days in the Crown Court within a total budget of £275 million.The Lord Chancellor has since agreed to fund an additional 500 days, but it has become clear that there has been significant over-listing against this budget – with more trials scheduled than the funding allows.As a result of that, approximately 1,600 sitting days have had to be withdrawn. The level of impact will vary across regions and is being managed closely to ensure there is minimal disruption to all involved.