Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when his Department plans to provide an initial response to the Law Commission's report, Matrimonial Property, Needs and Agreements, published in March 2014.

In line with the terms of the protocol we have with the Law Commission, I submitted my preliminary views on the recommendations in the report to the Law Commissioner in March. In September 2014 the Government proposed to the Law Commission that a final response should be given in the next Parliament. This will allow the next Government to give the proposals full consideration without the current pressures on Parliamentary time. The Family Justice Council is also carrying out further work to clarify the meaning of ‘financial need’ in divorce cases. This will include the Council producing guidance for separating couples to help them understand the likely outcomes of their case. We expect this to be completed by the end of the year