Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to reduce backlogs in the family courts; and whether he has assessed the potential impact of reinstating legal aid contracts and restoring early legal advice for family law cases on reducing the backlogs.

Reducing the backlog in the family courts is a priority for this Department. Alongside the successful Mediation Voucher Scheme which, as of 5 February 2023, has allowed over 14,500 separating couples to access mediation away from the family courts, we intend to publish a consultation shortly seeking views on proposals to support families to reach agreements earlier.

We are expanding our plans for judicial recruitment to secure enough capacity to sit at the required levels across all jurisdictions in this financial year and beyond.

Legal aid contracts remain in place for family matters that are within scope of legal aid, as set out by the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012.