Schedule 6
Welfare Reform Bill
11:15 am
Mark Harper (Shadow Minister, Work & Pensions; Forest of Dean, Conservative)
Will the hon. Gentleman clear up what he thinks about the question that I brought up about his amendment, which refers to section 4(1)(a) of the Children Act 1989, and about his concerns about a father requiring parental responsibility? That section of the 1989 Act simply says that, on the application of the father, the court may order that he shall have parental responsibility for the child. Given that the court has to do that, there seem to be perfectly adequate safeguards. If the mother has legitimate concerns about the safety of the child in question, or that of her other children, or indeed her own safety, all that evidence can be put before the court, and the court can take all that into account when it is making orders about the relationship and the legal rights that the father will have over that child. That is perfectly adequate without the hon. Gentleman’s amendment.