Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether the Department has reviewed international evidence on shared parenting arrangements following parental separation and the potential implications for family justice policy in England and Wales.

Answered by Jake Richards - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The Government has not undertaken a specific review of international evidence on shared parenting arrangements.

Decisions about whom a child is to live with or spend time with are based on the child’s best interests and the individual circumstances of each case. The court must have particular regard to the factors set in the ‘welfare checklist’ in the Children Act 1989, such as the ascertainable wishes and feelings of the child concerned, the impact on the child of any change in circumstances, and how capable each parent is of meeting the child’s needs. Where the facts of the specific case suggest a shared parenting arrangement is in the best interests of the child, this will likely be supported by the court.

The safest way to determine parenting arrangements that meet a child's needs is to ensure that decisions are based on the individual circumstances of the case. This enables the court to consider all relevant factors specific to that child to ensure a safe decision is made in their best interests. A prescriptive approach to shared parenting arrangements cannot safely reflect the unique circumstances and welfare considerations of every child. The Government continues to consider relevant evidence, including research, stakeholder engagement and findings from relevant reviews to ensure that the family justice system delivers for children and families.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether the Department has undertaken an assessment of the potential relationship between family separation, family court proceedings and mental health outcomes.

Answered by Jake Richards - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The Government has not undertaken a specific assessment of the potential relationship between family separation, family court proceedings and mental health outcomes. We are aware of the impact that involvement in family court proceedings can have on the mental health of children, parents and other parties.

The Government is committed to rolling out Child Focused Courts nationally by March 2029. This represents significant reform to private law children’s proceedings and will improve the experience and participation of children and families in the family courts.

In the Child Focussed Courts model, families benefit from a streamlined, problem-solving approach which brings forward a holistic assessment of needs and risks and enables the court to make safe decisions without delay. This approach increases the evidence available to judges earlier in the case, and reduces the number of cases returning to court, protecting children and families from further trauma.

HMCTS training materials highlight resources staff can signpost where they are concerned about a party’s mental health. Cafcass' Child Impact Assessment Framework brings together guidance, practice aids and resources for practitioners relating to mental health, trauma-informed practice and working with adults, children and young people with additional needs.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps the Department is taking to support children in maintaining meaningful relationships with both parents following separation, where this is safe and in the child's best interests.

Answered by Jake Richards - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The Government recognises the important role that both parents play in a child’s life where that involvement is safe, meaningful and positive.

The Government is committed to supporting separating families through measures that encourage parents to resolve disputes and decide child arrangements away from court in the way that best suits them, where appropriate. The Family Mediation Voucher Scheme provides up to £500 to eligible families to cover the costs of mediation to resolve child arrangement matters outside of court.

Where court proceedings are necessary, the child’s welfare must be the court’s paramount consideration when making decisions about parental involvement in a child’s life. Where parental involvement is safe and in the best interests of the child, maintaining the child’s relationship with both parents will likely be supported by the family courts.

Where contact needs to be supervised Supported Child Contact Centres provide safe, neutral settings for contact. Since 2013 the Ministry of Justice has provided grant funding to support National Association of Child Contact Centres (NACCC) accredited centres, through the Supported Child Contact Centre Grant.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of probate applications referred to specialist teams are determined within the target timeframe.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The Ministry of Justice publishes regular data on probate timeliness and open caseload in the quarterly Family Court Statistics bulletin, available at Family Court Statistics Quarterly - GOV.UK.

Published statistics include a range of breakdowns which enable timeliness and open caseload to be viewed by application type, application channel (paper or digital) and whether an application was stopped because further information or clarification was required from the applicant.

HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) does not classify probate applications as "specialist" or "non-specialist", nor is there a dedicated Lost Wills Team. Consequently, HMCTS does not routinely hold or publish the information requested on waiting times, staffing levels or caseloads for such categories.

Caseworkers receive ongoing training across all aspects of probate work and are deployed flexibly across workstreams to respond to operational demand and ensure resources are directed where they are needed most.

HMCTS is particularly focused on reducing waiting times for paper applications for letters of administration with a will annexed. Timeliness measures for these applications include the time taken for applicants to respond to requests for further information, which can be longer where correspondence takes place by post.

To improve waiting times, HMCTS has invested in additional staff in 2026, alongside system and process improvements and a programme of upskilling. These measures are intended to improve processing times and prevent growth in the outstanding caseload.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps are being taken to reduce waiting times for probate applications referred to specialist teams.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The Ministry of Justice publishes regular data on probate timeliness and open caseload in the quarterly Family Court Statistics bulletin, available at Family Court Statistics Quarterly - GOV.UK.

Published statistics include a range of breakdowns which enable timeliness and open caseload to be viewed by application type, application channel (paper or digital) and whether an application was stopped because further information or clarification was required from the applicant.

HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) does not classify probate applications as "specialist" or "non-specialist", nor is there a dedicated Lost Wills Team. Consequently, HMCTS does not routinely hold or publish the information requested on waiting times, staffing levels or caseloads for such categories.

Caseworkers receive ongoing training across all aspects of probate work and are deployed flexibly across workstreams to respond to operational demand and ensure resources are directed where they are needed most.

HMCTS is particularly focused on reducing waiting times for paper applications for letters of administration with a will annexed. Timeliness measures for these applications include the time taken for applicants to respond to requests for further information, which can be longer where correspondence takes place by post.

To improve waiting times, HMCTS has invested in additional staff in 2026, alongside system and process improvements and a programme of upskilling. These measures are intended to improve processing times and prevent growth in the outstanding caseload.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of whether staffing levels within specialist probate teams are sufficient to meet demand.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The Ministry of Justice publishes regular data on probate timeliness and open caseload in the quarterly Family Court Statistics bulletin, available at Family Court Statistics Quarterly - GOV.UK.

Published statistics include a range of breakdowns which enable timeliness and open caseload to be viewed by application type, application channel (paper or digital) and whether an application was stopped because further information or clarification was required from the applicant.

HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) does not classify probate applications as "specialist" or "non-specialist", nor is there a dedicated Lost Wills Team. Consequently, HMCTS does not routinely hold or publish the information requested on waiting times, staffing levels or caseloads for such categories.

Caseworkers receive ongoing training across all aspects of probate work and are deployed flexibly across workstreams to respond to operational demand and ensure resources are directed where they are needed most.

HMCTS is particularly focused on reducing waiting times for paper applications for letters of administration with a will annexed. Timeliness measures for these applications include the time taken for applicants to respond to requests for further information, which can be longer where correspondence takes place by post.

To improve waiting times, HMCTS has invested in additional staff in 2026, alongside system and process improvements and a programme of upskilling. These measures are intended to improve processing times and prevent growth in the outstanding caseload.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what target time HM Courts and Tribunals Service has set for determining probate applications referred to specialist teams.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The Ministry of Justice publishes regular data on probate timeliness and open caseload in the quarterly Family Court Statistics bulletin, available at Family Court Statistics Quarterly - GOV.UK.

Published statistics include a range of breakdowns which enable timeliness and open caseload to be viewed by application type, application channel (paper or digital) and whether an application was stopped because further information or clarification was required from the applicant.

HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) does not classify probate applications as "specialist" or "non-specialist", nor is there a dedicated Lost Wills Team. Consequently, HMCTS does not routinely hold or publish the information requested on waiting times, staffing levels or caseloads for such categories.

Caseworkers receive ongoing training across all aspects of probate work and are deployed flexibly across workstreams to respond to operational demand and ensure resources are directed where they are needed most.

HMCTS is particularly focused on reducing waiting times for paper applications for letters of administration with a will annexed. Timeliness measures for these applications include the time taken for applicants to respond to requests for further information, which can be longer where correspondence takes place by post.

To improve waiting times, HMCTS has invested in additional staff in 2026, alongside system and process improvements and a programme of upskilling. These measures are intended to improve processing times and prevent growth in the outstanding caseload.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average waiting time was for probate applications referred to specialist teams within HM Courts and Tribunals Service in each of the last three years.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The Ministry of Justice publishes regular data on probate timeliness and open caseload in the quarterly Family Court Statistics bulletin, available at Family Court Statistics Quarterly - GOV.UK.

Published statistics include a range of breakdowns which enable timeliness and open caseload to be viewed by application type, application channel (paper or digital) and whether an application was stopped because further information or clarification was required from the applicant.

HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) does not classify probate applications as "specialist" or "non-specialist", nor is there a dedicated Lost Wills Team. Consequently, HMCTS does not routinely hold or publish the information requested on waiting times, staffing levels or caseloads for such categories.

Caseworkers receive ongoing training across all aspects of probate work and are deployed flexibly across workstreams to respond to operational demand and ensure resources are directed where they are needed most.

HMCTS is particularly focused on reducing waiting times for paper applications for letters of administration with a will annexed. Timeliness measures for these applications include the time taken for applicants to respond to requests for further information, which can be longer where correspondence takes place by post.

To improve waiting times, HMCTS has invested in additional staff in 2026, alongside system and process improvements and a programme of upskilling. These measures are intended to improve processing times and prevent growth in the outstanding caseload.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many full-time equivalent staff have been assigned to the Lost Wills Team in each year since 2022.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The Ministry of Justice publishes regular data on probate timeliness and open caseload in the quarterly Family Court Statistics bulletin, available at Family Court Statistics Quarterly - GOV.UK.

Published statistics include a range of breakdowns which enable timeliness and open caseload to be viewed by application type, application channel (paper or digital) and whether an application was stopped because further information or clarification was required from the applicant.

HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) does not classify probate applications as "specialist" or "non-specialist", nor is there a dedicated Lost Wills Team. Consequently, HMCTS does not routinely hold or publish the information requested on waiting times, staffing levels or caseloads for such categories.

Caseworkers receive ongoing training across all aspects of probate work and are deployed flexibly across workstreams to respond to operational demand and ensure resources are directed where they are needed most.

HMCTS is particularly focused on reducing waiting times for paper applications for letters of administration with a will annexed. Timeliness measures for these applications include the time taken for applicants to respond to requests for further information, which can be longer where correspondence takes place by post.

To improve waiting times, HMCTS has invested in additional staff in 2026, alongside system and process improvements and a programme of upskilling. These measures are intended to improve processing times and prevent growth in the outstanding caseload.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many probate applications have been awaiting action by a specialist team for (a) over six months, (b) over 12 months and (c) over 18 months.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The Ministry of Justice publishes regular data on probate timeliness and open caseload in the quarterly Family Court Statistics bulletin, available at Family Court Statistics Quarterly - GOV.UK.

Published statistics include a range of breakdowns which enable timeliness and open caseload to be viewed by application type, application channel (paper or digital) and whether an application was stopped because further information or clarification was required from the applicant.

HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) does not classify probate applications as "specialist" or "non-specialist", nor is there a dedicated Lost Wills Team. Consequently, HMCTS does not routinely hold or publish the information requested on waiting times, staffing levels or caseloads for such categories.

Caseworkers receive ongoing training across all aspects of probate work and are deployed flexibly across workstreams to respond to operational demand and ensure resources are directed where they are needed most.

HMCTS is particularly focused on reducing waiting times for paper applications for letters of administration with a will annexed. Timeliness measures for these applications include the time taken for applicants to respond to requests for further information, which can be longer where correspondence takes place by post.

To improve waiting times, HMCTS has invested in additional staff in 2026, alongside system and process improvements and a programme of upskilling. These measures are intended to improve processing times and prevent growth in the outstanding caseload.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average waiting time is for applications referred to the Lost Wills Team.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The Ministry of Justice publishes regular data on probate timeliness and open caseload in the quarterly Family Court Statistics bulletin, available at Family Court Statistics Quarterly - GOV.UK.

Published statistics include a range of breakdowns which enable timeliness and open caseload to be viewed by application type, application channel (paper or digital) and whether an application was stopped because further information or clarification was required from the applicant.

HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) does not classify probate applications as "specialist" or "non-specialist", nor is there a dedicated Lost Wills Team. Consequently, HMCTS does not routinely hold or publish the information requested on waiting times, staffing levels or caseloads for such categories.

Caseworkers receive ongoing training across all aspects of probate work and are deployed flexibly across workstreams to respond to operational demand and ensure resources are directed where they are needed most.

HMCTS is particularly focused on reducing waiting times for paper applications for letters of administration with a will annexed. Timeliness measures for these applications include the time taken for applicants to respond to requests for further information, which can be longer where correspondence takes place by post.

To improve waiting times, HMCTS has invested in additional staff in 2026, alongside system and process improvements and a programme of upskilling. These measures are intended to improve processing times and prevent growth in the outstanding caseload.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the answer to written question UIN 13627, if will list the circumstances where the Government believes that it is not appropriate for Council Tax charges to apply and does this include cases where it has proved impossible to sell a property within the period where there has been a statutory Council tax exemption period due to excessive Service charges and fees.

Answered by Jim McMahon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

It is for individual councils to assess whether it is appropriate to apply any further exceptions or discounts for second or empty homes. Councils will make these decisions based on local circumstances. The government has no plans to publish further guidance on this matter.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment the Department has made of the adequacy of the mental health support available to parents involved in prolonged family court proceedings.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government recognises that stressful life events can have a significant impact on people's mental health. Integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning mental health services to meet the needs of their local populations, including for parents and families involved in court proceedings. The forthcoming Mental Health Strategy will set out ambitious plans to transform access to mental health support across England, with a focus on early intervention and prevention.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment the Department has made of the feasibility of linking family court data with other Government datasets to better understand the long-term outcomes for parents involved in family justice proceedings.

Answered by Jake Richards - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The Ministry of Justice recognises the value of linking family court data with other government datasets, including mortality datasets, to improve understanding of the longer-term outcomes of children and families involved in family justice proceedings. Through the Data First programme, family court datasets, including data from HMCTS family courts, Cafcass, Cafcass Cymru and Welsh children’s social care have been linked (and personal identifiers then removed). These are made available to accredited researchers through the SAIL Databank.

The Ministry of Justice is working with partners, including the Department for Education, Cafcass and Cafcass Cymru to explore how data linkage can be improved and become more routine and sustainable across the family justice system, whilst ensuring data protection safeguards are in place.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether the Department has considered linking family justice datasets with mortality data to support understanding of long-term wellbeing outcomes for separated parents.

Answered by Jake Richards - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The Ministry of Justice recognises the value of linking family court data with other government datasets, including mortality datasets, to improve understanding of the longer-term outcomes of children and families involved in family justice proceedings. Through the Data First programme, family court datasets, including data from HMCTS family courts, Cafcass, Cafcass Cymru and Welsh children’s social care have been linked (and personal identifiers then removed). These are made available to accredited researchers through the SAIL Databank.

The Ministry of Justice is working with partners, including the Department for Education, Cafcass and Cafcass Cymru to explore how data linkage can be improved and become more routine and sustainable across the family justice system, whilst ensuring data protection safeguards are in place.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of trends in the level of the wellbeing of parents engaged with the Child Maintenance Service, including those experiencing financial hardship and arrears.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) is committed to ensuring that it delivers a safe service that is sensitive to the needs of all the parents that use it. It recognises that some parents may face difficult circumstances, particularly at a time of separation.

The CMS takes the interests and safety of its customers very seriously. All colleagues who directly support customers complete mandatory training to help identify and support vulnerable customers.

Caseworkers have access to several tools and procedures to help support customers when they advise they cannot afford to pay child maintenance or are struggling with the cost of living in general and are in financial or emotional crisis. This includes the National District Provision Toolkit and Affordability Hub which provides information to allow caseworkers to signpost to national and local support organisations for debt help and mental health assistance across the UK. Additionally, caseworkers can refer particularly vulnerable customers to the DWP Advanced Customer Support Team.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what mental health support and signposting is available to parents identified by the Child Maintenance Service as experiencing financial distress.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) is committed to ensuring that it delivers a safe service that is sensitive to the needs of all the parents that use it. It recognises that some parents may face difficult circumstances, particularly at a time of separation.

The CMS takes the interests and safety of its customers very seriously. All colleagues who directly support customers complete mandatory training to help identify and support vulnerable customers.

Caseworkers have access to several tools and procedures to help support customers when they advise they cannot afford to pay child maintenance or are struggling with the cost of living in general and are in financial or emotional crisis. This includes the National District Provision Toolkit and Affordability Hub which provides information to allow caseworkers to signpost to national and local support organisations for debt help and mental health assistance across the UK. Additionally, caseworkers can refer particularly vulnerable customers to the DWP Advanced Customer Support Team.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what data the Department collects on the average duration of private law child arrangement proceedings; and what steps he is taking to help reduce those times.

Answered by Jake Richards - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The Department publishes statistics on the timeliness of private family law cases, which include child arrangement proceedings, in the Family Court Statistics Quarterly publication. These can be found at the following link: Family Court Statistics Quarterly - GOV.UK.

We have made progress in reducing case lengths in the family courts. In January to March 2026, it took on average 35 weeks for private law cases to be concluded, down 5 weeks from the same period in 2025; however, we recognise that average case lengths remain higher than we would like.

The Ministry of Justice is working with cross-system partners to improve timeliness by increasing efficiency in the system and through the rollout of the Child Focused Courts model, which has been shown to resolve cases twice as fast as the national average. The Family Justice Board regularly monitors KPI data against performance targets it has set both regionally and nationally.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment has been made of the potential impact of the time taken to progress child arrangements proceedings on the wellbeing of children and parents.

Answered by Jake Richards - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The Government is committed to ensuring that family court proceedings are resolved in a timely manner and is aware of the potential negative impact prolonged proceedings can have on the wellbeing of children and parents. The Government works closely with partners across the system, including the Family Justice Young People’s Board, to understand and reduce the impact of court delays.

The Ministry of Justice is working with cross-system partners to improve timeliness by increasing efficiency in the system and through the rollout of the Child Focused Courts model, which has been shown to resolve cases twice as fast as the national average. The Family Justice Board regularly monitors KPI data against performance targets it has set both regionally and nationally.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment has been made of the adequacy of the availability of early dispute resolution and mediation services for separating parents before child arrangements proceedings commence.

Answered by Jake Richards - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The Government is committed to ensuring that separating parents can resolve any issues regarding child arrangements in a way that works for them, providing this is safe and in the child’s best interests and keeps the adequacy and availability of services under regular review.

In suitable cases, early dispute resolution and mediation offers a swift, flexible approach to agreeing child arrangements where court attendance is not required.

To enable this, the Government has made information on early dispute resolution and family mediation services available to the public and offers financial help to anyone engaging in family mediation where there is a dispute over a child, most notably via the Family Mediation Voucher Scheme.

This scheme gives all those who qualify, including separating and divorcing parents, a £500 non-means tested single use voucher to spend on family mediation. There is no annual cap on the number of vouchers available and Legal Aid is also available for family mediation if the applicant meets the requirements.

Funding of Jodrell Bank Observatory

Political donations and campaign finance regulation

Independent Office for Police Conduct findings on Norman Bettison

Support for hospices

Hartley Pensions and FCA enforcement action (No. 2)

Medical Training and students

US sanctions on Cuba

Found: June 2026 at 4.30pm in Committee Room 13 Present: Jessica Morden (in the Chair) Jerome Mayhew Tom Morrison