Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Ministry of Justice press release of 21 May 2019 entitled Spotlight on child protection in family courts (a) if he will list the panel of experts assembled and (b) whether any survivors or victims of domestic abuse will sit on the panel.

On 21 May 2019 we announced a public call for evidence led by a panel of experts to gather evidence on how the family courts protect children and parents in cases of domestic abuse and other serious offences.

The inaugural panel meeting is due to take place Friday 14 June 2019, after which we will publicly announce the panel members and agreed objectives for the call for evidence.

The panel members represent key parties to the issue and will provide expertise from across the Family Justice System. Included are representatives from the Judiciary, academia, social care, policy officials and third sector organisations which represent and advocate for victims of domestic abuse.

It is vital that this call for evidence can contribute to real improvements to the Family Justice System to protect victims and their families. For this reason, the experiences of victims will be central to the evidence gathered by the panel.