HC Deb 09 March 1999 vol 327 cc99-100W
Mr. Kidney

To ask the Minister of State, Lord Chancellor's Department what assessment he has made of the marriage preparation pilot schemes. [74808]

Mr. Hoon

The Lord Chancellor's Department funded a programme of 13 marriage support pilot projects in 1997–98. Three of the projects were concerned with marriage preparation.

The Department assessed the effectiveness of each project in terms of its achievement of specific aims and objectives, and its cost effectiveness. Take-up of the marriage preparation offered was limited, but those who did participate generally found it helpful.