Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Family Justice System Reform

Tuesday 24 May 2022 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The government is committed to reducing conflict and protecting children and victims through investment in mediation schemes, piloting less adversarial methods, and issuing over 8,000 vouchers.
  • The Government supports resolving issues earlier and outside court for cases not involving domestic abuse or safeguarding concerns.
  • The Department is considering making mediation compulsory for cases that can be resolved outside of court.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Edward Timpson Con
Justice & Courts Children & Families
Context

No specific background or context provided other than a general concern for reforming the system to reduce conflict and protect children.

Question

What steps his Department is taking to reform the family justice system. The question highlights efforts to reduce demand in private family courts, invest in mediation schemes, and implement less adversarial ways of hearing cases.

Answer from Tom Pursglove

The government is committed to reducing conflict and protecting children and victims through investment in mediation schemes, piloting less adversarial methods, and issuing over 8,000 vouchers. There are domestic abuse or safeguarding concerns in half of private family cases; the Government will support parents to resolve issues outside court.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific ask was not a direct request for information but rather an inquiry about steps being taken, and the answer provided general commitments without concrete details.

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Q2 Edward Timpson Con
Children & Families
Context

The family justice system remains under pressure, and there is recognition that additional funding for CAFCASS has been allocated. During the questioner's tenure as CAFCASS chair, it was established that one in four private law children's court cases could be avoided with pre-proceedings work.

Question

Is the Department also looking at reducing unnecessary cases going into family courts by conducting pre-proceedings work?

Answer from Tom Pursglove

The Government supports resolving issues earlier and outside court for cases not involving domestic abuse or safeguarding concerns. The Department is considering making mediation compulsory for those cases that can be resolved outside of court. A meeting to discuss ideas in more detail has been suggested.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific ask was about reducing unnecessary cases through pre-proceedings work, and while the answer acknowledges supporting parents to resolve issues earlier, it did not directly address considering pre-proceedings work specifically.

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