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Mediation move for divorce cases
2011-02-23 05:24:01
23 February 2011 Last updated at 16:40 Share this page Delicious Digg Facebook reddit StumbleUpon Twitter Email Print Divorcing couples to go through mediation before court
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//"The government is creating a myth that mediation is a panacea in order to justify cuts to legal aid which will take areas such as this, where people desperately need advice out of scope."
A Ministry of Justice spokesman said the courts should not get involved in varying parental contact days or other minor disputes.
The ministry said 137,000 divorce cases were dealt with in 2009, up by 16%.
The cost per client of mediation is £535, compared with £2,823 for court costs and the National Audit Office also found mediation was quicker - 110 days, compared with 435 days for court cases.
The move does not relate to Scotland or Northern Ireland.
'Tremendous strain'
However, a Scottish government spokeswoman said: "In Scotland we encourage the use of mediation in family cases when it is appropriate and safe to do so.
"There is already provision in court rules in Scotland for a sheriff to refer matters relating to parental responsibilities and rights to a mediator."
Last year David Norgrove, who chairs a Whitehall review into the issue, said there was a "tremendous strain" on the system which was "really intolerable" for the children of divorced parents.
Justice Secretary Kenneth Clarke recently announced plans to scrap civil legal aid for a range of cases.
Mr Djanogly pointed out that the legal aid bill in England and Wales - £2bn a year - was far higher than in most other countries.
He said: "Our proposals aim to radically reform the system and encourage people to take advantage of the most appropriate sources of help, advice or routes to resolution - which will not always involve the expense of lawyers or courts."