Family courts will need to be better prepared to deal with litigants in person following the government’s legal aid reforms, MPs warned in a report published today.

The report, from the Justice Committee, on the interim recommendations of the Family Justice Review, said an increase in litigants in person was the ‘inevitable outcome’ of the removal of legal aid in most private family law cases.

It expressed concern that the Ministry of Justice had failed to appreciate this, and said the courts would need to become more attuned to deal with parties representing themselves.

The report welcomed the move to require all parties, whether publicly or privately funded, to consider mediation before going to court, together with the government’s continued commitment to fund mediation for those eligible for legal aid.

But the MPs voiced concern that the government had not budgeted for enough extra mediations in its legal aid proposals.

‘With more than 200,000 people losing eligibility for legal help and representation, the department’s prediction that only 10,000 extra mediations will be required seems low (albeit more realistic than their initial estimate of 3,300),’ the report said.

Committee chair Sir Alan Beith said: ‘Many family disputes could be better dealt with by mediation than in a court.

'However, there will still be cases which go to court and there will be significantly more litigants in person following changes to legal aid.

‘Courts are going to have to make adjustments to cope with more people representing themselves in what are often emotionally charged cases.’

The MPs also called on the government to scrap the provisions in the Families Act 2010 to allow media access to family courts, following what it called ‘universal condemnation’ of the plans.

The report recommended that ministers reformulate proposals to increase transparency in family courts, putting the views of children centre stage.

Beith said: ‘Greater transparency in the administration of family justice is much needed, but it has to be balanced against the equally important requirement of protecting the interests of children.

‘Ministers must go back to the drawing board when it comes to granting media access to family courts and properly consider the views of children who may be affected,’ he added.