Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act 2020

Lord Fowler Excerpts

Tuesday 13th October 2020 Lords Chamber

[Lord McColl of Dulwich (Con) [V]]

My Lords, can you hear me?

[The Lord Speaker (Lord Fowler)]

Yes, we can. Go on, Lord McColl.

[Lord McColl of Dulwich (Con) [V]]

[Inaudible]—the Lord Chancellor made a commitment that the Government will

“work harder to co-ordinate, to bring together the strands of policy that sit with various Departments and to ensure that we have a family policy that is fit for the 2020s”.—[Official Report, Commons, 17/6/20; col. 902.]

Can my noble friend report on what progress has been made in fulfilling that pledge?

--- Later in debate ---

[Baroness Scott of Bybrook (Con)]

My Lords, the so-called unilateral divorce by one spouse has effectively been available for nearly 50 years. It is only the basis of the divorce that can be contested, not the application itself. Interestingly, only 2% of divorce petitions are contested. By reducing the potential for conflict between divorcing parents, our reforms should make the escalation of trivial disputes into applications less, not more, likely. In addition, the Ministry of Justice has worked with Cafcass and OnePlusOne to develop the Co-Parent Hub, offering a one-stop shop for families, including alternative dispute resolution options.

[The Lord Speaker (Lord Fowler)]

My Lords, all supplementary questions have been asked. We now move to the third Oral Question.