Question
I would like to ask about my constituent Ranem. When a family court told her that her son could not be taken out of the country, she believed it was safe for Ibrahim to be with his father, but it was not safe. Four years ago this week, he was abducted by his father and taken to Saudi Arabia, and Ranem has not seen him since. How can we ensure a better system, in which, when the courts make an order, ports know about it and enforce it, so that mothers do not have to go through what Ranem is going through?
Answer
I thank my hon. Friend for raising this horrific case; I will meet him outside the Chamber to discuss it in more detail and see what we can do. This is all about sharing information between the family courts, the Home Office, border security and the Foreign Office. My hon. Friend the Victims Minister, the hon. Member for Pontypridd (Alex Davies-Jones), is responsible for the mutual recognition of orders across borders. This will be difficult in some types of countries, but we have to make progress on ensuring that protective orders carry weight across borders, because these cases often cross jurisdictions. I will meet my hon. Friend to discuss the specifics of this case, and I hope to assist in any way that I can.22% vibes
Verdict: AMBER (35/100)
The reply points to a concrete mechanism: sharing information between family courts, the Home Office, border security and the Foreign Office. It does not explain how ports would actually be notified or how an order would be enforced at the border, and the rest of the reply mostly defers to a future meeting and acknowledges the difficulty. The question is therefore only partly answered, and the person who asked would likely need to follow up for the specifics.
How we got there
| Question item | Coverage | Specificity | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| What is the Government's approach to ensuring a better system in which ports are informed of family court orders preventing a child's removal from the country, and enforce those orders. | Partially Addressed | Direct | The reply names a concrete approach, sharing information between family courts, the Home Office, border security and the Foreign Office, which bears directly on informing ports. It also refers the cross-border recognition of orders to the Victims Minister. However, it never explains how ports are actually notified or how orders would be enforced at the border, and the rest is largely deferral to a meeting and acknowledgement of difficulty. |