Oliver Heald (North East Hertfordshire, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what his Department's policy is on enabling legally-aided mediation in relation to family disputes to include the agreement of a child support arrangement in addition to the resolution of the dispute for which legal aid was granted; what assessment he has made of the interrelationship of legally-aided family mediation and child maintenance support services to be provided by the Department for Work and Pensions; and if he will make a statement.
Jonathan Djanogly (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (HM Courts Service and Legal Aid), Justice; Huntingdon, Conservative)
Under the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill, which we introduced on21 June, legal aid will remain available for mediation in private family law cases, which includes disputes about financial provision for children. The Ministry of Justice, Department for Work and Pensions and Department for Education are working together, as we develop our respective plans to support families, to ensure that the systems for supporting separating parents are co-ordinated.