Children and Adoption Bill [HL]

In response to the noble Baroness’s point about statistics, I am told that we do have statistics and I shall write to her with them. I am not absolutely clear that the statistics are in exactly the same category to which she referred. But I shall come back to her with the statistics that we do have and it may be that we can meet her point. If not, I shall look further at what she said on the specific issue of statistics. The noble Baroness has raised a very important and profound concern about the parents of children who are abducted, which is a terrible thing to happen, both to the parents and often to the children themselves. We do not in any way minimise the gravity of that situation or the need for effective measures to counter it. Indeed, the 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction is an international instrument for ensuring the return of abducted children to their country of habitual residence. It is generally recognised as working well and we play a full part in it. Each contracting state to the convention maintains a central authority. The central authority for England and Wales is operated by the International Child Abduction and Contact Unit in the Office of the Official Solicitor. As well as processing applications for return and for contact, the unit provides information to parents and publishes details of the services it can provide. Additional advice and support to parents is provided by reunite, the organisation mentioned by the noble Baroness, and by the International Child Abduction Centre. Reunite is funded by the DCA and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The DCA currently contributes £100,000 a year to its core funding and it provides a 24/7 telephone advice and information service. This includes a prevention guide for those who fear their child may be abducted and a lawyers’ list of legal practitioners, in both the UK and abroad, specialising in child abduction to help parents quickly identify a solicitor experienced in this field of expertise. Reunite signposts parents to the relevant government departments and helps people understand the situation in which they find themselves. The child abduction co-ordination group, chaired by the DCA and comprising members from across government, the public sector and the voluntary sector, monitors the operation of the convention and constantly looks for new ways to prevent abduction and to support those affected by it. The operation of the convention is kept under review by the Hague Permanent Bureau through a series of regular special commissions. The commission which met in 2001 concluded that the instrument itself did not need reforming but active steps were required to improve its operation. A further commission in 2002 concluded that improved contact arrangements could potentially reduce the risk of abduction. A fifth special commission will meet next year in March and will be focussing on contact and enforcement orders. The Government are closely involved in the research being carried out preparatory to that commission. It is expected that the special commission will consider whether a further chapter on contact should be added to the Hague good practice guide, which currently covers central authority practice, implementing measures and preventative measures. This guide has been developed over several years, with input from all contracting states to the Hague convention. It gives advice to central authorities and practitioners about the operation of the convention but is not legally binding. I can assure the Committee that we are playing a full part in the Hague processes and will play our part next year in considering whether they can be further improved. We offer good support to parents faced with the terrible situation of their children being abducted, although of course we are always looking at ways in which we can improve this.