Children and Adoption Bill [HL]

I shall look forward to telling my noble and learned friend Lord Mackay of Clashfern that his 1996 family Act is unworkable. The paramount interests of the child remain. It must be in the child’s best interests, as the Government have agreed, to maintain a meaningful relationship with both parents. The Minister says that, although taking our amendment seriously, the Government think that they would not lead to better outcomes. We fundamentally disagree. Our outcomes seek to keep families out of court and that must be good for the child. In the Government’s parenting plans, two separating parents who cannot agree on anything have to fill in a questionnaire asking them to write 75 or so mini-essays composed jointly, many of them on open-ended discussion on all the matters about which they might disagree, including dozens of things they have not even thought of disagreeing about in addition to many ““have we forgotten anything?”” or ““is there anything else you want to argue about?”” areas. So, no problems there then. The plans focus on everything apart from the one issue in dispute: reasonable contact. I beg leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.