Equal access for divorced parents ruled out

Parents who split up would not be guaranteed equal access to their children under plans unveiled by the Government today.

Parents who split up would not be guaranteed equal access to their children under plans unveiled by the Government today.

Ministers want to ensure children see both their parents after a separation.

But they said children must not be treated "like a CD collection" with an automatic presumption of a 50/50 split between both parents.

The Government is proposing a shake-up of the law, saying it is not working at the moment.

It wants more help for parents to reach a settlement without recourse to the courts. It also wants cases that do reach the courts to be dealt with more quickly and effectively.

And ministers want better enforcement of punishments for parents who breach court orders.