Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
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.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
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.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
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.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
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.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
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.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
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.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
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.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
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.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
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.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
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.