Barry Sheerman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to protect victims of domestic abuse in family law courts.

Dr Phillip Lee

This Government is committed to supporting vulnerable people at court, including victims of domestic abuse. The family courts take the issue of domestic abuse extremely seriously. There is a strong and clear framework for judges to apply to the management of difficult court room situations, to ensure they are handled sensitively for alleged victims of domestic abuse and other vulnerable witnesses. All judges receive specific training on this framework and they can intervene to prevent inappropriate questions or have questions relayed. Practical protections, for example, protective screens, video links, separate waiting rooms and separate entrances are available where appropriate. The Government is working with the judiciary to consider what additional protections may be necessary.