Scottish Parliament

Yesterday I visited the Scottish Parliament and popped into the First Ministers Question Time. In response to Margaret Curran, Alex Salmond indicated that the pilot of the Glasgow domestic abuse court is being considered for other parts of Scotland. The Glasgow court has dedicated procurators fiscal and sheriffs in place to bring domestic violence cases to court with the minimum delay and with additional support for victims. Conviction rates have increased markedly in cases brought before the court.

Mr Salmond said: "The first thing is, of course, to continue the work of that court and extend it throughout the city of Glasgow. Not every court in Scotland is suitable, as Glasgow most certainly is, for that work, but it is certainly being considered for application elsewhere."

Meanwhile, squabbles between the Scottish Government and Westminister continue, this time about ID cards. Living abroad I grew up with ID cards and they are no big deal.

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Bloody Relations

Another interesting English family law blog I've added to my blogroll and recommend is Bloody Relations.



All too often there are stories of resident parents denying contact but in today's post Taking It Out on the Children Jacquig highlights the flip side of the coin when parents refuse any contact unless they get exactly what they want. In one recent case I know the father failed to get residency so turned down the offer of 50:50 shared residency and told the judge he wanted no contact. Grr....

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Surplus Procedure

An American mathematical political scientist has devised a formula for dividing resources in difficult situations such as divorce.

It works by numerically taking into account the values people place on the different aspects of what's in dispute. Each party first gets at least 50 percent of what they want most. What's left over is then divided proportionally, so both parties get half of what they wanted.

Mathematically it sounds interesting, but human nature being what it is I wonder if it would really be that simple.

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Absent Fathers & Child Support

This story in the Guardian on Saturday tells how a father came to abandon his son for 10 years and how the son now has an 'incendiary' relationship with his mum. I really wish that parents with care who deny contact would realise that a very intense relationship between them and the child is not a healthy attachment and will almost inevitably backfire one way or another. Children ideally need two parents.

On Sunday the Observer highlighted the concerns over the Child Maintenance and Other Payments Bill which received its final reading in the Lords last week. This legislation is to replace the discredited Child Support Agency and will enable parents on benefits to come to voluntary arrangements rather than using the CSA or its replacement C-MEC. Charities including Resolution, the family lawyers group, warn this could result in parents getting inadequate advice, and single parents not receiving the level of financial support they need.

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Student Funding

On Thursday the Scottish Parliament approved the Graduate Endowment Abolition (Scotland) Bill which restores free education and means that all current and future students, as well as those who graduated on or after 1 April 2007 will not have to pay the charge. The graduate endowment was introduced for Scottish students and EU students entering a Scottish university from 2001-02. It was a one-off payment on successful completion of a higher education course of three years or more and replaced university fees.

The bill was passed with support of the LibDems and, according to the editorial comment in the Herald yesterday, in turn the SNP government has agreed to review the system of student support. No doubt the current practice of students being funded by government and parental support will remain. In Scotland an obligation of 'aliment' is owed by all parents to their children under s1 Family Law (Scotland) Act 1985. A child being defined as;

(a) under the age of 18 years; or

(b) over that age and under the age of 25 years
who is reasonably and appropriately undergoing
instruction at an educational establishment, or train-
ing for employment or for a trade, profession or
vocation

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