New Clause 22 — Mediation pre-child contact order where the safety of the child is not an issue

Part of Orders of the Day – in the House of Commons at 8:45 pm on 20 June 2006.

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Photo of Alan Beith Alan Beith Chair, Constitutional Affairs Committee 8:45, 20 June 2006

I am pleased that the new clause was tabled, because the Select Committee recommended that the parties should be required to attend a mediation meeting. What is not clear—perhaps the hon. Lady could quickly make it clear—is whether the provision goes as far as to say that people have to go through the whole process of mediation. No one who spoke to the Select Committee recommended that. It was felt that compulsorily introducing the parties to the possibility of mediation was as far as the element of compulsion should go.