Government plans to boost confidence in family courts rely on more resources and the questionable premise that the press is interested in ordinary cases, Joanne Edwards and Mark Irving point out
The issue of transparency (or widely perceived lack thereof) in family courts is one that has long excited lively debate. Last week, the Department for Constitutional Affairs heralded a change in the operation of the family courts with the publication of its consultation paper, ‘Confidence and confidentiality : improving transparency and privacy in family courts’ (see ‘Government plans for transparency in family courts’, Solicitors Journal, 07.07.06, p899).
While various proposals have been put out for consultation, the particular themes upon which this comment focuses are a lack of resources and consequent delays in family court listings, which will become all the more apparent with increased transparency; and the burden that wi...
