§ Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Attorney-General if he will make available the further details of the study on family courts being undertaken by the Lord Chancellor's Department referred to in Cmnd. 9298, page 12; by whom the study is being conducted; and when a final report is expected.
§ The Attorney-GeneralAn announcement about the family court review was issued in July. A copy has been placed in the Library. The study is being undertaken jointly by officials of the Lord Chancellor's Department and the Home Office with the following terms of reference
To examine the feasibility of the establishement of a unified court for the exclusive exercise of jurisdiction in family and domestic matters below the level of the Court of Appeal, to identify the main options for such a court and to assess the resource implications for such a court and to assess the resource implications of each of these options.It is not yet possible to give a date for the publication of a final report.