Asked by: Andy MacNae (Labour - Rossendale and Darwen)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 8 July 2025 to Question 64314 on Homicide: Parents, on what date her Department plans for the commencement of Section 18 of the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Government is committed to implementing Section 18 of the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024, which introduces an automatic restriction on the exercise of parental responsibility where one parent has been sentenced of the murder or voluntary manslaughter of the other. The provision will come into force on a day appointed via regulations made by the Secretary of State, following the development of the necessary procedural and legislative frameworks to support its effective delivery.
Officials are currently working with key delivery partners including Local Authorities, the Crown Prosecution Service, the National Police Chiefs Council and HMCTS across the criminal and family justice systems, to ensure effective implementation. This includes potential consequential amendments to the Family Procedure Rules 2010 and Criminal Procedure Rules 2020, as well as supporting Practice Directions and statutory guidance.
Asked by: Andy MacNae (Labour - Rossendale and Darwen)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether her Department plans to bring forward legislative proposals to automatically limit a surviving parent's parental responsibility over their child in cases where one parent has unlawfully killed the other.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Section 18 of the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024 provides that where one parent kills the other, the Crown Court will be required to restrict the exercise of their parental responsibility for any children they shared at the point of sentence.
The measure will protect children and shield carers from the further distress that might come with making an application to restrict the exercise of parental responsibility at what will already be the most difficult of circumstances. We are now working with key partners including Local Authorities, the Crown Prosecution Service, the National Police Chief’s Council and HMCTS, ahead of commencement, to establish the best system for this change. This includes developing any relevant changes to the criminal and family procedure rules as well as broader guidance for practitioners and families.