Asked by: Baroness Pitkeathley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the percentage of (1) family judges, and (2) magistrates, who have completed the (a) continuation training, (b) digital training, and (c) face-to-face training, on domestic abuse that is available through the Judicial College.
Answered by Lord Bellamy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
To preserve the independence of the judiciary, the Lord Chief Justice, the Senior President of Tribunals, and the Chief Coroner have statutory responsibility for judicial training, under the Constitutional Reform Act 2005, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007, and Coroners and Justice Act 2009 respectively. These responsibilities are exercised through the Judicial College.
The College launched new mandatory digital training on domestic abuse for family judges and family magistrates in Autumn 2021. In April 2022, the College rolled out a new one-year programme of intensive face-to-face Domestic Abuse training for family and civil judges, including training which addresses the Domestic Abuse Act. From September 2022, the College rolled out a similar programme of Domestic Abuse training for family magistrates. The Judicial College publishes annually its prospectus and activity report.
Asked by: Baroness Pitkeathley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government what are the names of (1) the individuals, and (2) the organisations, who (a) write, and (b) deliver, the Judicial College training on domestic abuse to family judges and magistrates.
Answered by Lord Bellamy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
To preserve the independence of the judiciary, the Lord Chief Justice, the Senior President of Tribunals, and the Chief Coroner have statutory responsibility for judicial training, under the Constitutional Reform Act 2005, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007, and Coroners and Justice Act 2009 respectively. These responsibilities are exercised through the Judicial College.
The College launched new mandatory digital training on domestic abuse for family judges and family magistrates in Autumn 2021. In April 2022, the College rolled out a new one-year programme of intensive face-to-face Domestic Abuse training for family and civil judges, including training which addresses the Domestic Abuse Act. From September 2022, the College rolled out a similar programme of Domestic Abuse training for family magistrates. The Judicial College publishes annually its prospectus and activity report.
Asked by: Baroness Pitkeathley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of children who have been moved from one parental residence to another, as a result of emotional harm or parental alienation findings in Family Court Proceedings.
Answered by Lord Bellamy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
Incidences of children who have been moved from one parental residence to another, as a result of findings of emotional harm, parental alienation or alienating behaviours in family court proceedings are not recorded centrally. Such information can only be obtained from individual case files at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Baroness Pitkeathley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government what training magistrates and judges sitting in Family Courts receive on domestic abuse.
Answered by Lord Bellamy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
To preserve the independence of the judiciary, the Lord Chief Justice (LCJ), the Senior President of Tribunals, and the Chief Coroner have statutory responsibility for judicial training, under the Constitutional Reform Act 2005, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007, and Coroners and Justice Act 2009 respectively. These responsibilities are exercised through the Judicial College.
Family judges and magistrates receive training on Domestic Abuse as part of induction training, which they must complete before they hear any cases, and in ongoing continuation training. Most recently, updated digital training was launched in Autumn 2021, and updated face-to-face training rolled out from April 2022. The content covers all areas recognised as abuse, ranging from serious sexual and other assaults and covering emotional abuse, coercive and controlling behaviour, including financial coercion and control, as well as the impact not just on survivors, but their children and wider family.
Asked by: Baroness Pitkeathley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the adequacy of the recourse available through the family courts where a child has been abducted from the UK to an EU Member State which is not a party to the 1980 Hague Convention, now that the Brussels II Regulation no longer applies.
Answered by Lord Wolfson of Tredegar
Applications for the return of a child wrongfully removed or wrongfully retained away from the UK are made to the court in the country where the child has been taken or retained. All EU member states are party to the 1980 Hague Child Abduction Convention and the UK continues to operate the Convention with them through the Central Authorities which transmit applications. This position was not changed by the UK’s exit from the EU.