Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans the Government has to conduct evidence-gathering sessions with domestic abuse survivors and charities as part of its review into family courts.

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 took place on Friday 14 June 2019. We will shortly be announcing its planned approach for engaging domestic abuse survivors and other key stakeholders, as well the composition of the panel 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 survivors 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 domestic abuse survivors will be central to the evidence gathered by the panel.