Professionals ‘wary of transparency’

Front-line practitioners may resist government moves to open up the family justice system to more scrutiny.
The head of England’s family courts, Sir Mark Potter, issued the warning in a letter to Alan Beith MP, chair of the House of Commons’ constitutional affairs committee.

He said professionals concerned with children’s welfare and those who must persuade witnesses to become involved in care cases were unlikely to share the judiciary’s desire for more openness.

He said access to family courts should be restricted to people with a “genuine interest” in the case, such as lay advocates and family members.

Potter’s letter was published alongside a report from the constitutional affairs committee, which welcomed the government’s plans for a consultation on improving transparency.

• From www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm/cmconst.htm