Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of safeguards for preventing harm to children during court-ordered contact arrangements.

This Government has been clear – child safety during court-ordered contact is vital.

The recently published review of court’s application of the presumption of parental involvement found a high incidence of ordered contact. In some instances, this could have negative implications for children.

That is why this Government plans to repeal the presumption from the Children Act 1989. This will be part of a package of reforms to the family courts – including the further expansion of the Pathfinder model.