Children, Schools and Families Bill

To some extent, I would say that they will be an integral part of that review. I shall go on to explain in more detail about how I think that that review might work, and I would expect it to take those pilots into consideration. It would consider the whole procedure of openness and transparency in the family courts, and the pilots would be included. We will review the pilots before then anyway, as part of their timetable. There seems to me no reason why the review, when it comes about, could not also take them into consideration. The hon. Gentleman is right to say that the benefits of an independent review are significant, not least because it will be crucial for its report to be accepted as a fair and accurate account of how those initial changes have operated. It is also important, therefore, for the independent reviewer to consult publicly on that. If the review is to have the respect that we want it to command, it needs to be set up on the right footing. That is why we are also giving a commitment that its terms of reference will be agreed by the Justice Committee. The Chair of that Committee, the right hon. Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed (Sir Alan Beith), was here during the earlier part of the debate and I am sure that he will be looking at the details later. As I have said, if the Justice Committee were to include the pilots as part of the review procedure, I see no reason why that would not be perfectly acceptable. It might give the reviewer more credibility when the review takes place.