Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assistance overseas posts provide to UK nationals who are seeking the return of their child from a country that is not party to the 1980 Hague Convention.

The UK lobbies countries that are not signatories of the 1980 Hague Convention to sign it. Cases involving non-Hague convention signatories are much harder to resolve and parents often face lengthy and expensive court proceedings abroad to try to facilitate their return.

Whilst the FCO cannot interfere in another country’s judicial process, where due process is not being followed, or cases take a disproportionately long time to resolve, we raise this with our appropriate counterparts.

There are a number of steps that parents can take if their child is taken overseas without their consent. We encourage parents to contact the Foreign and Commonwealth Office consular officials who can provide further guidance.