Lord Brougham of Vauxasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will give details of the terms of reference and membership of the interdepartmental working group on marriage, which they announced in their White Paper Looking to the Future: Mediation and the Ground for Divorce.
§ The Lord Chancellor (Lord Mackay of Clashfern)The terms of reference for the interdepartmental working group on marriage, which is to be chaired by my department, are as follows.
The interdepartmental working party on marriage will seek to identify:
the needs of couples in relation to preparing for marriage and for guidance and support during marriage;
the range of services currently available in this area, the extent to which their existence is known and how this knowledge might be increased; and
how existing resources might best be used to meet the needs of couples who are considering marriage or whose marriage is in difficulty.
The following Departments will be represented on the group: the Lord Chancellor's Department, the Home Office, the Department of the Environment, the Department of Social Security, the Northern Ireland Office, the Department for Educationa and Employment, the Department of Health and the Welsh Office.