Member

However, these new provisions in the Bill are novel and untested. We need to understand how the measures we are proposing work in practice before we consider expanding them any further. We do not know, for example, how many offenders will apply to the family courts to seek to vary or discharge the prohibited steps order made automatically at the Crown Court, and therefore we do not know the impact this will have on the family courts. We cannot take the risk of overwhelming them with an influx of cases arising from the new automatic restriction. The family courts are involved in difficult cases every day and it is important that any changes we make do not delay those cases and thereby put other vulnerable children already in the system at risk.