§ Mr. Evennettasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what advice or assistance his Department provides to parents whose children have been taken from their custody to locations beyond the jurisdiction of United Kingdom courts.
§ Mr. RentonParents are advised that in the absence of any amicable settlement their only recourse is to take legal advice in the country where the children have been taken.
388WThe Foreign and Commonwealth Office has instructed its consular posts to give whatever useful help they can to parents who face problems of this kind. This may include providing lists of local lawyers, trying to obtain welfare reports, assisting in connection with access to the children, drawing the attention of the authorities to any British court orders affecting the children, approaching the local authorities to help in tracing abducted minors and doing what they properly can to bring about a speedy conclusion of any legal proceedings dealing with a child's custody.