To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps the Government has taken to protect children from a parent who has been convicted of child sexual abuse.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what provisions are in place to support the non-abusing parent of a child who has a parent convicted of child sexual abuse; and what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of those provisions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the merits of restricting the access of parents who have been convicted of sexually abusing a child to their own children.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of measures to protect children from a parent who has been convicted of child sexual abuse.

The Government takes very seriously the need to protect children at risk of harm from their parents. The Government is also aware of the concerns regarding the exercise of parental responsibility by a parent who has been convicted of sexual abuse of a child.

Under the Children Act 1989, parents and guardians, as well as others who are entitled, can apply to a family court for a section 8 order in cases where a question arises in relation to the welfare of a child. These orders include prohibited steps orders and specific issue orders to restrict the exercise of parental responsibility. The court can also make child arrangements orders with provisions to protect a child, perhaps by providing for ‘no contact’ with a parent where this is considered to be in the best interests of the child.

The Government believes that these provisions provide good protection for children where a parent has been convicted of child abuse, including abuse of the child concerned, but we always keep the law and the practice in this area under review and are very conscious of the need to have the maximum possible protection of children and young people at all times.