Written question asked by Keith Vaz (Labour) on Thursday, 19 December 2002, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 7 January 2003. It was answered by Baroness Winterton of Doncaster (Labour) on Tuesday, 7 January 2003 on behalf of the Lord Chancellor's Department.

Lord Chancellors Dept

Question: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, if he will take steps to contact parents who have reported prevention of access to their children in Germany to the Child Abduction Unit, to determine if their problems remain and offer them assistance as appropriate; and what progress has been made on Lady Meyer's case. - Inc ref to 1980 Hague and European Conventions.

Answer: Keith Vaz: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if she will take steps to contact parents who have reported prevention of access to their children in Germany to the Child Abduction Unit, to determine if their problems remain and offer them assistance as appropriate; and what progress has been made on Lady Meyer's case. [89055] Ms Rosie Winterton: The Child Abduction Unit discharges the Lord Chancellor's functions as Central Authority under the 1980 Hague and European Conventions. Article 21 of the Hague Convention enables applications via the designated Central Authorities to make arrangements for organising or securing the effective exercise of rights of access, and the European Convention enables a person who has obtained in one Contracting State a decision on rights of access to apply via the Central Authorities for the purpose of having the decision recognised or enforced in another Contracting State. Any parent resident in England and Wales whose child is resident in Germany may apply to the Child Abduction Unit; but there are no plans to contact parents who have reported difficulties but have not made such an application. No such application has been made in Lady Meyer's case.

Secondary information