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Record Ref : FOI 11429
Date Received : 27/05/2025
Date Completed : 19/06/2025
Organisation : Private Individual
Application Type : Private Individual
Category : Expenditure, Budgets and Income
Question
Re: Regarding the Council's expenditure on expert witnesses in public law family court proceedings. Please provide the following information for 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025 (from 01/01/25 until 16/05/25, or when you choose to respond to this): 1) The total amount spent on expert witnesses in public law family court proceedings (e.g. care proceedings under the Children Act 1989) by Merthyr Tydfil Council. 2) A breakdown of the types of experts instructed (e.g. psychologists, psychiatrists, independent social workers, medical professionals, etc.) and the total spend per category. 3) A list of the top 10 experts or expert firms by total spend between 2022 and 2025 (inclusive). Please provide the name of the expert or firm where this does not breach the data protection exemption as well as how much was spent on each individual or firm. If this breaches a cost exemption, please only disclose the top 5 experts.
Answer
1. 2022 = Unknown 2023 = 3031.80 2024 = Unknown 2025 = Unknown N:B the council has recently outsourced its childcare legal work to a neighbouring authority and as such we are unable to access historic data relating to your request. 2. 2023 = mobile phone examination, DNA Testing, drug and alcohol testing As stated above a full list of external experts used is not available due to the change in childcare legal work. 3. Athena Forensics Atkinson Lewis Lexton As stated above a full list of external experts used is not available due to the change in childcare legal work.