Dear Mr Ferguson

Freedom of Information Request

Thank you for your e-mail dated 8^th September in which you requested the following information from the Ministry of Justice (MoJ):

“Please can you state for the record if it is correct that Family

Court Judges are allowed to put pressure on parents in care proceedings, to place their children for adoption.

Would it be correct to say that this is a regular occurrence in the Family Courts.

Could it be that judges are treating children like movable chattel that belongs to the State rather than their natural parents, please supply all evidence that relates to complaints and if it is indeed lawful to defend oneself by recording such events.

Otherwise how would the Public be any the wiser as to what is happening behind closed doors.”

Your request has been handled under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA).

From our preliminary assessment, it is clear that we will not be able to answer your request without further clarification. Under section 1(3) of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), a public authority need not comply with a request unless any further information reasonably required to locate the information is supplied.

I am currently unclear as to the exact scope of the information in which you are interested. In order to help us ensure that we provide you with the right information, I would be grateful if you could clarify your request.

Upon receipt of this information we will be in a position to continue with the processing of your request.

Should you need to contact me, it would be helpful if you quote our reference number.

Yours sincerely

Hannah Law

Data Access & Compliance Unit

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