asked the Minister for Justice the number of High Court special summonses which were issued in 1980 (a) for the hearing of disputes as to custody of children under the Guardianship of Infants Act, 1964; (b) by a spouse seeking a maintenance order for his or her own support or the support of children, (c) by a spouse seeking to have the other spouse barred from the family home and (d) by a spouse seeking to have disputes as to property determined under section 12 of the Married Women's Status Act, 1957.
Written Answers. - Custody of Children.
321.
Particulars of the number of High Court special summonses issued by spouses seeking to have the other spouse barred from the family home have not previously been sought and are not readily available because no statistical record is kept of such summonses and could only be compiled by the expenditure of a disproportionate amount of staff time. In any event, I am informed that, at present, staff cannot be spared from their ordinary duties to carry out this work.
The information sought at (a), (b) and (d) of the question is available because it has been the subject of inquiry from time to time and special records have been kept. Particulars are as follows: (a) 389; (b) 370; (d) 257.