Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent discussions he has had with the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) on the number of complaints the PHSO has received on the matter of family courts implementing (a) a ban on cross examination of domestic abuse survivors in court and (b) the statutory presumption that victims of abuse are eligible for special measures.

The Ministry of Justice has not been made aware of any complaints to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman about the implementation in the family court of the prohibition on cross-examination in person, or the presumption that victims of domestic abuse are automatically eligible for special measures, both of which are provided for by the Domestic Abuse Act 2021.