That this House believes that standstill budgets at the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS) is leading to pressure on services and to delay in administering cases involving vulnerable children; and therefore calls on the Government to ensure, as a priority, that CAFCASS is properly resourced in the future in order to carry out its vital functions in respect of children's welfare and the Every Child Matters agenda.

That this House believes that standstill budgets at the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS) is leading to pressure on services and to delay in administering cases involving vulnerable children; and therefore calls on the Government to ensure, as a priority, that CAFCASS is properly resourced in...

That this House condemns the Legal Service Commission's (LSC) recent decision to end all funding of specialist support services in England and Wales from July 2006 despite the outcome of its own review in 2003-04 which recognised the value and importance of specialist support advice, mentoring and training in complex areas of social welfare law for LSC approved agencies working directly with the public; notes that this will mean, in Wales, the end of the Wales Specialist Support Service, which provides expert help and training in housing, welfare benefits and debt, and across England and Wales, the loss of essential advice and training in mental health, community care, employment, HIV/AIDS, immigration and human rights, as well as housing, welfare benefits and debt, provided by acknowledged expert agencies such as the Child Poverty Action Group, Disability Law Service, Citizens Advice, Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants, Liberty, MIND, Shelter, Terrence Higgins Trust and others; further regrets the implications of this cut in funding for vulnerable clients who are not in a position to employ specialist advisers; and calls on the Government to restore funding for specialist support and to strengthen the provision of legal advice for those in the greatest need.

That this House condemns the Legal Service Commission's (LSC) recent decision to end all funding of specialist support services in England and Wales from July 2006 despite the outcome of its own review in 2003-04 which recognised the value and importance of specialist support advice, mentoring and training in complex...