Exeter lawyer’s concern over future of domestic abuse and divorce bills following suspension of parliament

Exeter lawyer Penny Scott, who is chair of the Family Law Committee of The Law Society, has today expressed her concerns over the loss of two important bills - following the suspension of parliament.

All bills advancing through the commons were halted this week, including the Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Bill and the Domestic Abuse Bill.

Penny, who is a partner at Cartridges Law and contributed to both Bills through her work with The Law Society, said the fate of the bills was now uncertain.

She added: ‘This is very concerning. These were two important bills which would bring significant changes for the better in both those areas of law and now their future is uncertain. It may be that they return in the next parliament, but there is no guarantee of that and we won’t know until the Queen’s speech of October 14.’

The Domestic Abuse Bill had its first reading in the House of Commons in July and was due for its second reading. The bill contained several key measures against domestic abuse such as:

the inclusion of children aged 16 and 17 in the statutory definition of domestic abuse

for the first time, a statutory definition of coercive control

the recognition of economic abuse as a form of domestic abuse

prohibiting the cross-examination in family courts of domestic abuse victims by their alleged abuser, and

the appointment of a domestic abuse commissioner.

The Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Bill was due to introduce new legislation to overhaul divorce law and reduce family conflict. It also included the introduction of a ‘no fault’ divorce and the creation of a joint application for divorce.

Both bills had featured extensive cross-party work to draft the legislation and followed years of campaigning from parties seeking reform. Neither bill was subject to a ‘cross-over’ motion pre-prorogation (which would have preserved them in their current state in the new session of Parliament) and will have to be started from scratch, if the government chooses to bring them back.

For more information about the work of Cartridges Law visit www.cartridgeslaw.co.uk or call 01392 256854.