Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he plans to amend the Matrimonial Causes Act.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Government has no plans to amend the Matrimonial Causes Act at this stage.
We are in the process of exploring the issues identified by the Law Commission in its 2024 report on financial remedies, ahead of issuing a consultation by Spring this year.
Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent discussions he has had with the Attorney General’s Office on ending the presumption of parental contact in family court cases.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Government announced on 22 October 2025 that it will repeal the presumption of parental involvement when Parliamentary time allows.
Prior to this announcement, a Parliamentary write-round was undertaken which included consideration by the Attorney General’s Office.
The repeal will be taken forward once an appropriate legislative vehicle is identified. This remains a Ministerial priority, and we will announce further plans due course.
Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department plans to take to improve the employment tribunal process.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
We recognise that there remain significant challenges for the performance of the Employment Tribunals. We are working with the judiciary and across Government with
His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS), Acas and the Department of Business and Trade on actions to improve performance in the Employment Tribunals.
HMCTS continues to invest in improving Employment Tribunal processes through the recruitment of additional judges, deployment of Legal Officers to actively manage cases, the development of modern case management systems, and the use of remote hearing technology. A ‘Virtual Region’ of judges has delivered over 1,500 extra sitting days. We are encouraging the uptake of mediation to help individuals resolve their employment issues at the earliest opportunity.
Following recruitment, in 2024 we had 21 more salaried judges in the Employment Tribunals than in 2023, and further recruitment for up to 36 salaried Employment Judges commenced in March 2025. 50 fee paid employment judges were appointed in 2024 and recruitment will commence for another 50 in early 2026. As a result, the Lord Chancellor was able to announce on 5 March a sitting day allocation for the Employment Tribunals of 33,900 in 2025/26, the maximum allocation they are able to sit.
The Government is clear that everyone should have access to Employment Tribunals, to challenge unfair behaviour at work. We recently reiterated this commitment, by announcing that bringing forward a case to an Employment Tribunal will remain free, to ensure that everyone can stand up for their rights at work, no matter their means.
Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if her Department will consider reviewing the potential merits of listing a specific addiction as the cause of death by suicide on death certificates.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Government has no plans to change the information which coroners are required to determine with regard to cause of death in cases of suicide.
The information recorded by the coroner in the Record of Inquest is dependent on the circumstances of the individual case and is at the coroner’s discretion as an independent judicial office holder. Any medical conditions mentioned in part 2 of the Record of Inquest must be known or suspected to have contributed to the death, and not simply be other conditions which were present at the time of death.
With regard to the possible contributory factors in a suicide, such as an addiction, it cannot be guaranteed that consistent and comprehensive information on a deceased person’s background will be made available to the coroner in every case. In addition, expecting coroners to routinely assess and record specific underlying conditions would take the coronial role fundamentally beyond its legal parameters, which are to determine who has died, and how, when and where they died.
Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will make it her policy for courts to prioritise cases involving grooming.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The listing of cases is a judicial function, and as such, prioritisation and scheduling decisions are the responsibility of judges. In practice, the judiciary generally lists cases to give priority to those with vulnerable parties and witnesses.
The Government continues work to deliver meaningful change for victims of child sexual abuse and exploitation. I refer the Hon Member to the statement made by the Minister for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls to Parliament on 8 April 2025, which provided an update on the Government's work to tackle child sexual abuse and exploitation. The statement can be found here: https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2025-04-08/debates/4FDDC9A4-1AC6-4F34-8E6B-3DF6CC2C981A/TacklingChildSexualAbuse?highlight=tackling#contribution-A9A86425-75DF-4AD4-815E-46755043F5C2.