Asked by: Lord Farmer (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, with regard to the map on page 11 of the guidance issued by the Home Office in March 2023 on provisions of the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 relating to Parliament Square and the areas surrounding the Palace of Westminster, why the section of the A302 forming the north side of Parliament Square was not included in the controlled area.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
Through section 76 of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 (PCSC Act 2022), the previous Government amended section 142A of the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 to expand the “controlled area” of the Palace of Westminster to include the vehicular access points to the Parliamentary Estate. The amendment also added obstructing the passage of a vehicle into or out of the Parliamentary Estate to the list of prohibited activities.
The aim of the amendments was to prevent the impediment of Parliamentarians’ vehicular access to the Parliamentary Estate via vehicular entrances. The scope of the amendment was determined in consultation with the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) and other key partners. The PCSC Act 2022 will be subject to post-legislative scrutiny between April 2025 and April 2027. We will carefully consider the findings of that review and should gaps in the legislation be identified, we will seek to address them.
Asked by: Lord Farmer (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to introduce legislation to extend the Palace of Westminster controlled area created by section 143 of the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 to include (1) the section of the A302 which forms the north side of Parliament Square, and (2) the public areas which adjoin.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
Through section 76 of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 (PCSC Act 2022), the previous Government amended section 142A of the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 to expand the “controlled area” of the Palace of Westminster to include the vehicular access points to the Parliamentary Estate. The amendment also added obstructing the passage of a vehicle into or out of the Parliamentary Estate to the list of prohibited activities.
The aim of the amendments was to prevent the impediment of Parliamentarians’ vehicular access to the Parliamentary Estate via vehicular entrances. The scope of the amendment was determined in consultation with the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) and other key partners. The PCSC Act 2022 will be subject to post-legislative scrutiny between April 2025 and April 2027. We will carefully consider the findings of that review and should gaps in the legislation be identified, we will seek to address them.
Asked by: Lord Farmer (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to review the effectiveness of existing legal provisions relating to the management of disruptive activities in the Palace of Westminster controlled area, including section 143 of the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
Through section 76 of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 (PCSC Act 2022), the previous Government amended section 142A of the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 to expand the “controlled area” of the Palace of Westminster to include the vehicular access points to the Parliamentary Estate. The amendment also added obstructing the passage of a vehicle into or out of the Parliamentary Estate to the list of prohibited activities.
The aim of the amendments was to prevent the impediment of Parliamentarians’ vehicular access to the Parliamentary Estate via vehicular entrances. The scope of the amendment was determined in consultation with the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) and other key partners. The PCSC Act 2022 will be subject to post-legislative scrutiny between April 2025 and April 2027. We will carefully consider the findings of that review and should gaps in the legislation be identified, we will seek to address them.
Asked by: Lord Farmer (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Timpson on 10 December (HL2894), what plans they have to reform telephony arrangements in prison so costs to prisoners are reduced to help strengthen family and significant other relationships and to facilitate rehabilitation.
Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
This Government is aware of the importance of allowing prisoners to maintain contact with family and other positive relationships, and the positive influence this can have on their wellbeing and rehabilitation. Provision of in-cell telephony is one of several ways that we enable that contact to take place.
We will shortly be commencing the reprocurement process to ensure continuation of a telephony service once our current contract terminates, and one of the key aims will be to ensure affordability for prisoners.
Asked by: Lord Farmer (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government what guidance they are giving to courts to signpost separating couples to early advice in Family Hubs, including support to stay together where appropriate, before separating couples can initiate court proceedings.
Answered by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government recognises that early access to information for separating families is essential. This is why the family procedure rule committee has put in place Pre-Application Protocols to signpost separating couples to support which may help them resolve their dispute without court intervention. These protocols also outline the steps that couples are expected to take to try to resolve their dispute before making a court application.
If families do proceed to court, The President of the Family Division now sends a letter out to both the applicant and the respondent, pointing them towards a range of resources which may help them reach agreement away from court, where safe and appropriate, including the Government’s Family Mediation Voucher Scheme, which offers £500 towards the cost of mediation.
Further Family Procedure Rule changes, which came into force in April 2024, encourage more people to attend Mediation Information and Assessment Meetings (MIAMs) before court. The MIAM is a meeting with a mediator to discuss whether mediation or another form of non-court dispute resolution may be preferable to proceeding to court.
The Government is also working to improve the information available, both online through GOV.UK, and offline via sources such as family hubs, to help inform separating families of their options before applying to court.
Taken together, these measures help ensure that separating families are getting the information and support they need as early as possible.
Asked by: Lord Farmer (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to provide, via Family Hubs, early advice and support on staying together to separating couples, before the start of court or other legal proceedings.
Answered by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Through both the Family Hubs – Start for Life programme and the Family Hubs Transformation Fund there are now more than 400 family hubs open across the 88 Local Authorities. Family hubs, where appropriate should connect families going through parental separation to services and support locally to ensure outcomes for their children are front and centre when agreeing child arrangements. This is to help avoid the cost and potential trauma associated with going through the court process.
In areas with a developed family hub model, local authorities may provide hub-based mediation or other services in support of separating parents, such as shared parenting programmes. This is not a requirement of the programme but is strongly encouraged for areas who are seeking to enhance their offer.
The Government recognises the importance of supporting separating families to resolve their issues quickly, and where appropriate, without the need to come to court. This is why the Family Mediation Voucher Scheme continues to provide £500 towards the cost of mediation. To date, over £16 million of vouchers have helped 38,700 separating parents to access mediation.
Asked by: Lord Farmer (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government following their announcement on 10 January that approximately £57 million will be made available to local authorities for the continuation of Start for Life services, what plans they have, if any, (1) to produce guidance for local authorities on Start for Life services, and (2) to introduce a duty on the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to report annually on the level of support available in England.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
In 2025/26, £57 million will be made available to 75 local authorities with high levels of deprivation to provide a range of Start for Life services. An updated programme guide will be published, setting out delivery expectations and guidance for local authorities providing Start for Life services.
The Government has no plans at this stage to introduce a duty on my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to report annually on the level of support available in England. Two national, independent evaluations are underway to understand the implementation and impact of the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme.
Asked by: Lord Farmer (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following their announcement on 10 January that approximately £57 million will be made available to local authorities for the continuation of Start for Life services, what plans they have to require local authorities to publish details of the Start for Life support services available in their area on their websites.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
As a minimum, all local authorities on the programme are expected to publish their Start for Life offer digitally in a single online space, and provide a hard-copy of the local offer to parents-to-be. We can confirm that all 75 local authorities have published details of their Start for Life offer online.
In 2025/26, £57 million will be made available to 75 local authorities with high levels of deprivation to provide a range of Start for Life services. This will include £2 million to ensure that families can access and understand their local Start for Life services, and to support parents and carers in bringing their valuable insight into the service design.
Asked by: Lord Farmer (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they are making in placing early advice for separating couples, before court and other legal proceedings, in family hubs.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Education)
Family hubs, where appropriate, should connect families going through parental separation to services and support locally to ensure outcomes for their children are front and centre when agreeing child arrangements. This is to help avoid the cost and potential trauma associated with going through the court process.
In areas with a developed family hub model, local authorities may provide hub-based mediation or other services in support of separating parents, such as shared parenting programmes. This is not a requirement of the programme but is strongly encouraged for areas seeking to enhance their offer.
Asked by: Lord Farmer (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government what research they have funded or plan to fund to investigate the effectiveness of non-court dispute resolution support services for families, including non-legal options such as separated parenting programmes and Voice of the Child, to promote evidence-led outcomes for the benefit of children.
Answered by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government recognises the importance of supporting separating families, and where appropriate, helping them resolve their issues quickly and without the need to come to court.
The Family Mediation Voucher Scheme continues to provide £500 towards the cost of mediation. To date, over £16 million of vouchers have helped 33,000 separating parents to access mediation. Analysis of the first 7,200 completed under the scheme suggests that 69% of participants reached whole or partial agreement and did not need to go on to court.
The Department for Work and Pensions runs the Reducing Parental Conflict (RPC) programme which aims to address frequent, intense and poorly resolved conflict between parents and improve outcomes for children.
The programme, funds grants to Local Authorities in England who work in partnership with multi-agency stakeholders, commissioning relationship support for parents in conflict. Evidence of the impact of these innovative services to increase access for diverse families can be found at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/reducing-parental-conflict-programme-evaluation.