Judge may obtain cultural report

1 In any proceedings under section 18 , the Family Court Judge may obtain a written cultural report by— a requesting a person whom the Judge considers qualified for the purpose to prepare one; or b directing the Registrar to request a person whom the Registrar considers qualified for the purpose to prepare one. 2 The court may act under subsection (1) only if satisfied that— a the information that the report will provide is essential for determining the application; and b the report is the best source of the information, having regard to the quality, timeliness, and cost of other sources; and c the proceedings will not be unduly delayed by the time taken to prepare the report; and d any delay in the proceedings will not have an unacceptable effect on the applicant. 3 If the court is entitled by subsection (2) to act under subsection (1) and if the court knows the applicant’s wishes about the obtaining of a report or can speedily ascertain them, the court must have regard to the applicant’s wishes before deciding whether or not to act under subsection (1). 4 Fees for the preparation of reports obtained under this section, and reasonable expenses incurred, must— a be determined in accordance with regulations made under section 16D of the Family Court Act 1980 or, if no such regulations are made, by a Registrar of the court; and b be paid in accordance with that determination out of public money appropriated by Parliament for the purpose. 5 In this section, cultural report means a report that is about the applicant and that covers an aspect or aspects of the applicant’s cultural background, including the applicant’s religious denomination and practice.