Number 10 Downing Street needs a Family Policy Unit intent on figuring out whether and how government policy can limit or reduce the scale of family breakdown.

That’s according to Harry Benson of the marriage Foundation. Writing at conservativehome.com, he said it is a massive social justice issue simply because of the consequences for children.

“When the majority of break-ups occur ‘out of the blue’, with no obvious evidence of serious conflict or unhappiness, it makes sense to ask why we do so badly and how policy could reduce its prevalence.”

He gave three suggestions to guide the establishment of such a Unit.

First, he said a genuine family policy needs to be rooted in robust evidence.

“A Number 10 Family Policy Unit should encourage the development of UK research into mainstream family stability, instability, and its consequences.”

Second, he noted that government policy itself can and does influence the decisions couples make so a Family Policy Unit should look at how the Government encourages or discourages couples to make clear decisions about their future and to formalise those decisions.

Third, he said policymakers need the confidence to base their public policy on the same principles most of them apply in private.

He concluded by saying a, “Number 10 Family Policy Unit should have the key role of giving senior ministers the confidence to promote clarity of commitment – and therefore marriage and civil partnerships – as the centrepiece of a bold new family policy that boosts the odds of stability.”