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Parental Responsibility: Fathers

Asked by Vikki SladeLiberal DemocratMinistry of JusticeTabled Answered 8 September 2026UIN 25142

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will undertake a review of (a) the process by which fathers can gain parental responsibility at the birth of their child when they are unmarried and estranged from their child's mother and (b) the cost of doing so through the court system.

Answered by Ministry of Justice

The Government has committed to undertake a review of the law around parental responsibility in its entirety. This review will provide an opportunity to consider how the law relating to parental responsibility operates in practice, including the circumstances in which parental responsibility is acquired, restricted or removed.

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