Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to support small family mediation businesses.

Legal aid remains available for mediation in certain family disputes, where the parties meet the eligibility criteria. The latest published Legal Aid Statistics show that in family mediation, Mediation Information and Assessment Meetings (MIAMs) assessments increased by 20% in the last quarter compared to the same quarter in the previous year.

In the Legal Support Action Plan, we committed to launching a campaign to raise awareness of the full breadth of legal support available, including legal aid.

We work closely with the Family Mediation Council, and support Family Mediation through regular signposting and communications. We also attend the Family Mediation Council Standards Board which helps set the standards for mediators to ensure individuals get a quality service. We recently highlighted Family Mediation Week in January 2020 through social media channels.