HC Deb 01 April 2003 vol 402 cc671-2W
Mr. Andrew Turner

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many applications for enforcement of child contact orders came before the courts in each of the last three years for which information is available. [105580]

Ms Rosie Winterton

Applications for enforcement can take various forms. Besides an application for the respondent to show reasons why (s)he should not be sent to prison or fined for breaching a previous order, the applicant may also ask the court for directions as to how a contact order can be made to work or the applicant might make a fresh application for contact. While my Department collects data on applications for contact (55,030 in 2001) this does not differentiate between new applications and repeat applications. Statistics on numbers of applications for Directions or for Reasons to Show Cause (enforcement) are not collected.

Mr. Andrew Turner

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if she will list the recommendations of the Children Act sub-Committee Report "Making Contact Work" which were(a) accepted (i) with and (ii) without conditions, and (b) rejected; what steps the Government have taken to implement each recommendation; and which recommendations she will implement within the next 12 months. [105581]

Ms Rosie Winterton

The Government's interim response to the "Making Contact Work" report was published on 6 August 2002. It acknowledged the valuable contribution the report made in addressing the difficult, and sensitive issue of children's contact with a non-resident parent. A copy of the report was placed in the Libraries of both Houses. It set out the work being carried out, with representatives from the judiciary, legal professions, CAFCASS, other Government Departments, academia and the voluntary sector, to achieve the improvements envisaged by the Children Act sub-Committee. Work continues in the four key areas of information and communication, safety, child contact centres; and facilitation and enforcement. A full response will be published in the summer setting out those recommendations already implemented and how we propose to address the changes envisaged by the Children Act sub-Committee.

Mr. Andrew Turner

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what research has been undertaken on the number of child contact orders which are complied with. [105583]

Ms Rosie Winterton

A survey on contact issues has been conducted by the Office for National Statistics on behalf of my Department, the results of which are currently being analysed. The aim of the research is to establish a baseline of contact by identifying how contact was agreed; parental satisfaction with the arrangements; and what are the barriers to effective contact. In addition, research has been commissioned (for completion in 2004) to examine what makes contact work and the impact of parents getting another partner and step families.