James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Durkan for raising the very important matter of proposals for family law reform with particular reference to the need for an indicative timescale. As the Deputy is aware, we are leading an ambitious programme of family justice reform. The Minister, Deputy McEntee, and I published the family justice strategy in November of last year. It sets out a vision for a family justice system of the future. This system will focus on the needs and rights of children and will assist their parents in making decisions that affect all of the family. We intend to achieve this through the implementation of more than 50 actions across nine goals, with timescales up to the end of 2025 and progress updates published annually. The strategy is foundational in nature. It outlines the steps needed to move towards a streamlined, user-friendly family justice system which supports and protects children and their families. As the strategy was developed, we listened to and acknowledged the many issues and concerns about how the current system operates.

The actions stress the importance of children’s welfare and the need to ensure their best interests are considered in conjunction with their constitutional rights. To that end, my Department has commenced a review to examine the role of expert reports in the family law process, the commissioning and availability of these reports, and their content and use. Later this year, a working group will be established to review the effectiveness of the current arrangements for hearing the voice of the child in private family law cases.

The family courts legislation is a key part of the strategy, and an important element of the family justice reforms. It will provide for the establishment of family courts as divisions of the existing court structures, each dealing with family law cases appropriate to its jurisdiction. The Bill completed Second Stage in the Seanad earlier this year and work is ongoing in my Department and the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel to prepare for Committee Stage in consultation with relevant Departments, State bodies and other stakeholders. These initiatives mark the beginning of the reform of how the family justice system operates. My vision is to make the system work better for everyone engaging with it, particularly for those most in need of additional support and protection, including victims of domestic and sexual violence, vulnerable parents and most of all children.

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