Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps the Government has taken to reform the family justice system to give equal value to the role of the mother and the father.

The legislative framework which governs family law cases about children is gender neutral and focused on the welfare of children involved and not on any perceived rights of either parent. Each case is determined on the facts and the individual welfare needs of the child as determined by an independent judiciary.

The court is legally required to presume that the involvement of a parent in the life of the child concerned will further that child’s welfare, unless it can be shown that this would not be so.