Equal Rights for Fathers and Grandparents

Today in Parliament, I urged the Government to give children the right to see both of their parents and grandparents, in the event of a family breakdown.

There are two specific examples from Harlow: the alleged case of a father, and a national charity based in Harlow, the Grandparents' Association.

I have been supporting the father on his e-petition, which I would encourage everyone to sign HERE.

You can see a video of my speech above. Alternatively, the text was:

Robert Halfon (Harlow): Mr Speaker, I have just two brief points to make, about how this issue has affected families in my constituency.

First; there is a father in Harlow, Mr Colin Riches, whose child has allegedly been denied access to him. It is a tragic case, which shows I believe why the law must change.

Second; I am campaigning with the Grandparents’ Association - a national charity based in Harlow - for children to have a legal right to “letterbox” access to their grandparents: the right to send and receive cards at Birthdays, and Christmas.

I have worked with Colin Riches to table an e-petition - number 23102 - and his case is something I have raised many times in Parliament, with the Leader of the House, and others.

The essential crux of his e-petition is that:

“Shared parenting should become the natural position in the UK. It is in the best interest of the child. The law should be there to protect children’s relationships with both parents. It needs to show children that both their parents are treated with equality. So that children who have been cared for by both parents and grandparents do not suffer the pain of a living bereavement.”

I welcome that the Government are looking at this, most recently through the Family Justice Review 2011. This Review was a ratchet in the right direction, because it accepted that:

“More should be done to allow children to have a voice in proceedings,”

But while I welcome the Review, it still does not go far enough to help families such as that of Colin Riches.

I am grateful to the Undersecretary of State for Children and Families, for his sympathetic response to my letter on this issue - where he says that he will

“explore possible options for strengthening the expectation that both of a child’s parents should continue to be involved with the child’s care, post-separation”

And would ask if the Minister would meet with Colin and me, to see if anything can be done?

Secondly, I want to briefly ask the Minister about the work of the Grandparents Association.

Last Thursday I joined them at Number 10 Downing Street, to hand in a petition with over 7,200 names, calling for children to have a right to “letterbox” access, to their grandparents: the right to send and receive cards on special occasions.

This is a very small, but symbolic thing - especially in the run-up to Christmas.

Sadly, across Britain today, thousands of children are denied access to their grandparents - even at birthdays and the holiday season. Often this is caused by family conflict.

To be fair, the Government are looking at this, with the recent Family Justice Review. But more needs to be done.

If the Minister could commit just to look at this, it would be hugely welcomed by the grandparents in my constituency.

It is a very tiny gesture, but it could transform the lives of many families.

Ultimately this is about the rights of children: to know who their family are, and to spend time with them.

In the context of what the Government is doing to support the family, surely this the right thing to do?

by Robert Halfon - www.roberthalfon.blogspot.com

Justice for Fathers: Colin Riches' Epetition

Yesterday, I raised Harlow resident Colin Riches' e-petition in the House of Commons. The full exchange was

Robert Halfon (Harlow): Has my right hon. Friend seen the e-petition from my constituent Mr Colin Riches entitled, “Support The Best Policy for Children; give Both Parents Equality in Law”? May we have an urgent debate on the Norgrove report and ensure that fathers have equal access to children?

Sir George Young: I am grateful to my hon. Friend for drawing the House’s attention to the independent review panel, which has just reported. My right hon. and learned Friend the Lord Chancellor is considering all the recommendations in detail and will respond in due course. We want a family justice system that meets the needs of those at the heart of the system—the children.

I would urge everyone to sign Colin's epetition HERE.

by Robert Halfon - www.roberthalfon.blogspot.com

The killers and accomplices to the murder of PC Yvonne Fletcher must be brought to England to face trial

The Daily Telegraph reports today, that Al-Baghdadi - one of the reported Embassy co-conspirators of the murder of Yvonne Fletcher, has been found shot dead. Nevertheless, the whereabouts of Mr Matouk Mohammed Matouk - thought to have also played a major role behind the 1984 events at the Libyan Embassy in St James Square, (subsequently becoming Gadaffi's Education Minister) are known to the Libyan Transitional Council (NTC).

Thus far, some elements of the NTC are resisting moves to extradite Mr Matouk - and his accomplices - to the UK. I argue in the Telegraph that it is vital our Government bring every possible pressure to bear on the NTC to ensure that those behind the 1984 Embassy siege and murder of PC Fletcher - are brought to England to face the justice of the courts. We must learn the lessons from the sickening release of al-Megrahi, and make clear to Libya - and to the rest of the world - that those who kill British Citizens will be hunted down to the end of their days.

My statement to The Telegraph is below:

"The Government has an absolute duty to continue the pressure to bring the murderer of Yvonne Fletcher, or their accomplices, to Britain. We must learn the lesson of al-Megrahi and ensure that those who murdered British citizens are brought to justice here, and not only brought to justice here but stay here for their punishment."

You can also read more HERE and HERE.

Whats wrong with Justice in our country? Ask the judges who gave a £50 fine to the man who burnt poppies on Remembrance Sunday

You might remember last Movember, when I wrote about the extreme Islamists who burnt the poppy on Remembrance Day.

There is something deeply wrong with justice in our country. This week, it was announced that Mr Emdadur Choudhury who burnt poppies during Remembrance Sunday was let off with a slap on the wrist, and a £50 fine.

This is entirely the wrong signal to send out.

We should be stopping extremist Islamism, not turning a blind eye to it.

When I say that there is something deeply wrong, what I mean is that it seems incredible that whilst Mr Choudhury gets a £50 fine, those good and decent people who do the right thing - and may have committed a minor traffic infringement - can be fined a lot more. Just a few days ago, David Buchanan, an army veteran, was fined nearly £245 for a minor traffic offence in which no one was even hurt.

It seems our criminal justice system focuses on the easy case, in order to fulfill targets and quotas, rather than dealing with the underlying problems.

We now know that Mr Choudhury - who allegedly gets nearly £800 a month in benefits - burned poppies in front of service families during the two-minute silence last November 11, as Islamic extremists yelled ‘British soldiers burn in hell’.

For this he was fined just £50, while many decent British people are fined hundreds of pounds for minor traffic offences, littering, or breaking the smoking ban.

Because Tony Blair incorporated the European Court of Human Rights into British law, we are now unable to chuck Mr Abu Hamza out of the country. Remember him? He is the extremist cleric who described Britain as a “toilet”. Not only - like the poppy-burners - is he inciting racial hatred but he is living here at the expense of British taxpayers.

Hard-pressed taxpayers are subsidising these maniacs. Why should we pay for them to have an easy life?

I believe that we need a serious rebalancing of our law and order system.

We need to withdraw from the European Convention of Human Rights, and have a proper British Bill of Rights instead.

We need to stop these Islamist extremists making a mockery of our laws. Above all, we must make sure that crime doesn’t pay - especially through welfare benefits.

In Parliament, I am calling for this, and welcome the Prime Minister’s determination to establish a commission that would give us a British Bill of Rights.

Let’s have a criminal system, where criminals get their just deserts. Enough is enough.

by Robert Halfon - www.roberthalfon.blogspot.com

Justice at last

I was pleased to heart that the Lord Chief Justice freed Mr Munir Hussain from prison. This man was the Father who was imprisoned for fighting and attacking an armed robber who was in his home - threatening his wife and children with a knife

Astonishingly, Mr Hussain was imprisoned for over use of force against the man (who had a string of previous convictions). Yesterday, he was freed on appeal, with the Judge stating that Mr Hussain had been "provoked beyond endurance".

Far too long, in many cases like this, it seems that the Justice system has given more rights to the criminal over the victim. Now, the Lord Chief Justice has redressed the balance.

I am glad that Conservative Policy, as announced recently by Conservative Home Affairs Spokesman Chris Grayling MP, has indicated that those who defend themselves in their homes against criminals will be less liable for prosecution.

P.S The criminal who attacked Mr Hussain and his family remains free.