Written question asked by Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative) on Tuesday, 26 June 2007, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 2 July 2007. It was answered by Bridget Prentice (Labour) on Monday, 2 July 2007 on behalf of the Ministry of Justice.

Separation: Children

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what plans he has to introduce further mediation services for separating couples with children.

Answer: We have established the Family Mediation helpline and supporting website; sponsored a public awareness campaign; and are facilitating judicial awareness seminars and supporting in-court referral schemes.Provisions of the Children and Adoption Act 2006 will enable the court to direct parties in child contact disputes to attend a meeting about mediation. Referrals will also be encouraged through changes to court rules and court forms, particularly in relation to disputes over children.Finally, the Legal Services Commission’s revised Family Fee scheme will remove the financial disincentives for solicitors to make referrals to mediation. Under the scheme, it will be in the interests of the solicitor to make a referral to mediation and to do so, at an earlier stage.Therefore, the Government have no plans to introduce further mediation services but remain committed to encouraging greater use of existing provisions for family mediation.

Secondary information