§ Sir Teddy TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many representations he has received from UK nationals who are being prevented from making contact with their children in Germany and in other EU nations following divorce settlement in the UK which gave them the entitlement to have regular contact with their children; and if he will make a statement. [93066]
§ Mr. Mike O'BrienThere are five UK nationals who have contacted the FCO because they are experiencing difficulties in getting access to their children in other EU nations, following divorce settlements in the UK which entitled them to regular access. Two of these cases are in Germany, two are in France and one case is in Finland. I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Leicester, East (Keith Vaz) on 6466W November 2002, Official Report, columns 624–25W, which outlined cases we have dealt with in Germany in the last 5 years.
All EU nations are signatories to the Hague Convention on International Child Abduction, which the Lord Chancellor's Department (LCD) leads on. If a parent contacts us for advice on a child abduction case in a Hague Convention country we refer them to LCD. We can also offer practical help and support through our Posts overseas, such as providing lists of English speaking lawyers, attending court hearings etc.