Asked by: Pauline Latham (Conservative - Mid Derbyshire)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to prepare for the commencement of the Marriage and Civil Partnerships (Minimum Age) Act 2022.
Answered by Mike Freer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Act is planned to come into force on 27 February 2023.
In advance, officials at the General Register Office have been working to ensure that their IT systems are updated so that it is no longer possible for Registrars to accept notice for 16 and 17 year olds to marry or enter into a civil partnership.
Secondary legislation required as a result of the Act has been drafted and is currently being reviewed and agreed across Government.
Officials have been working to ensure impacted groups such as the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller community and schools are aware of the change in law.
Asked by: Pauline Latham (Conservative - Mid Derbyshire)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to end child marriage across England and Wales.
Answered by Alex Chalk - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
The Government continues to listen carefully to the debate on the legal age of marriage. Justice officials liaise closely with officials in other departments that have an interest in this matter and in forced marriage, which Government made an offence in 2014.
I am aware of my Hon. Friend’s Private Members’ Bill which seeks to raise the age for marriage and civil partnership formation in England Wales from sixteen or seventeen to eighteen years of age. It also seeks to provide for related offences including an offence of failing to protect a child from entering marriage. Her Bill would also place a requirement on certain professionals to notify the police, if any such marriage has taken place, or could take place, and seeks to provide for a new child marriage protection order.
My noble and learned friend Lord Wolfson, in his new role as minister for family justice, will arrange to meet with my hon. friend shortly to discuss these important issues with her.
Asked by: Pauline Latham (Conservative - Mid Derbyshire)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she is taking to limit the potential re-traumatisation of vulnerable 16 and 17 year old victims of sexual abuse or exploitation in the criminal justice system.
Answered by Oliver Heald
The Government is committed to making sure that vulnerable and intimidated victims and witnesses get the support they need and have the confidence to come forward. A range of measures already exist to help reduce their anxiety, including giving evidence through live-link to the courtroom from a different room in the court, or away from the court building altogether, and the use of a Registered Intermediary. We doubled the number of Registered Intermediaries at the end of 2015 to increase the number available to help vulnerable and intimidated victims and witnesses give evidence.
We are also rolling out recorded pre-trial cross-examination in the Crown Courts from next year so that vulnerable witnesses do not have to give their evidence at trial. In addition to this, we are requiring publicly-funded advocates in sexual offences cases to undertake specialist training on working with vulnerable victims and witnesses.
Asked by: Pauline Latham (Conservative - Mid Derbyshire)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when she plans to start the national roll-out of pre-recorded cross-examination for young vulnerable witnesses following the pilot of section 28 of the Youth and Criminal Evidence Act 1999.
Answered by Phillip Lee
The roll-out of pre-trial cross examination for all vulnerable witnesses, including children, will commence in January 2017. The roll-out across all Crown Courts should be complete by the end of the year.