TNAG-1364-FCO40-1810-Hong-Kong-Hansard-reports-and-minutes-of-the-meetings-of-the-1986 — Page 76

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The Government is, on the whole, satisfied with the

present provision of counselling services and has no plan

to set up an advisory body specially to deal with marital

problems.

There are 22 Family Service Centres run by the Social

Welfare Department and 23 by Voluntary Agencies. These Centres

offer counselling and other forms of assistance to help

families cope with problems, such as marital breakdowns.

In any event, the Matrimonial Causes Rules require

the petitioner's solicitor in divorce cases to certify to the

Court whether or not he has discussed with his client the

possibility of a reconciliation and given his client the names

and addresses of persons qualified to assist in reconciliation.

This underlines what I take to be good practice on the part

of solicitors in Hong Kong, and I am assured that in the

Legal Aid department at least the prospects of reconciliation

are always discussed with petitioners.

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