The Telegraph report:
Thousands of divorcing couples and their children are being drawn into bitter but avoidable court battles in the wake of Government cuts to legal aid, stark new figures show.
The changes have triggered a virtual collapse in an alternative system designed to help families facing separation reach agreement over their property and children’s upbringing without going to court, they suggest.
According the figures obtained from the Ministry of Justice under the Freedom of Information Act, the number of couples inquiring about formal mediation has halved since the cuts came into force in April.