Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Written Ministerial Statement of 6 December 2010, Official Report, column 7WS, what consideration her Department has given to the articles of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child when making new policy and legislation since May 2015.

On 17 October the Minister for Vulnerable Children and Families laid a Written Ministerial Statement before this House reaffirming the Government’s commitment to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). It stated that both the UNCRC articles and the Committee’s recent Concluding Recommendations serve as a helpful and important guide to making sure that our policies – whether they hold direct or indirect consequences – consider children.

In the Ministry of Justice, impact on children and families is a core consideration. We analyse the impact of polices in relation to particular groups, as part of good policy-making. This is done in particular through engagement with civil society and professionals. All government departments consider the anticipated effects of legislation on children and on the compatibility of draft legislation with the UNCRC. This guidance can be found at www.gov.uk