FROM THE OFFICE OF THE JUSTICE MINISTER

Department of

Justice
Ministers Office Block B, Castle Buildings Stormont Estate Ballymiscaw Belfast BT4 3SG Tel: 028 90528121
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Mr Paul Givan Chair, Committee for Justice Northern Ireland Assembly Parliament Buildings Stormont Estate Belfast BT4 3XX

Your ref: Our ref: SUB/1623/2012

October 2012

JUDICIARY OF ENGLAND AND WALES MODERNISATION OF FAMILY JUSTICE

PROPOSALS

FOR

THE

Thank you for your letter of 28 September, referring to the report of Mr Justice Ryder on the above and the related article from the Daily Mail. As the Committee will have noted, Mr Justice Ryders report is the judicial response to the Review of Family Justice in England and Wales. As such, it deals with judicial matters like deployment of judges and case management. However, the proposals obviously take account of the legislative and other initiatives the UK Government is taking forward in response to the Review, as outlined in its own response of February 2012.

Mr Justice Ryder spoke about his report at a recent international family law conference in Belfast organised by the Northern Ireland Guardian Ad Litem Agency. Officials from my Department and members of the family judiciary in Northern Ireland attended.

Department of

FROM THE OFFICE OF THE JUSTICE MINISTER

Justice
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As the Committee is aware, the Access to Justice Review Report recommended a review of family justice in Northern Ireland and, in response, the Department is considering how a review of the operation of the family justice system could be taken forward. Given the remit of DHSSPS in respect of children and families, with the agreement of Edwin Poots, this work is being carried out jointly with DHSSPS. I note that some of the issues highlighted in relation to the family justice system in England and Wales (for example, delay and overuse of expert reports) correspond to issues highlighted in the Access to Justice Review Report in relation to the family justice system in Northern Ireland.

However, as I stated when I appeared before the Committee in June, I will not assume that the conclusions and recommendations of the England and Wales Review provide the right solution for this jurisdiction.

While the Access to Justice Review Report is a good starting point, the Department of Justice needs to scope out properly the issues which should be addressed in any review of the family justice system in Northern Ireland. It is important that this work is done in conjunction with that Department.

The scoping exercise has already commenced and will, in due course, include consultation with key stakeholders. This work is due to be completed by April 2013 and, at that stage, I will advise the Committee of the outcome.

DAVID FORD MLA Minister of Justice