The government-sponsored family bill would postpone until the end of the year the application of provisions under which cases from family law regarding children's rights would be solved by the so-called family courts instead of social welfare centres.
Opposition clubs of deputies said they were against the postponement, adding that social welfare centres could not provide court protection required in civil cases.
Social Democrat Ingrid Anticevic Marinovic warned that the Justice Ministry had not provided either facilities or judicial staff for that purpose.
"To say that the Family Law will overburden courts is unfair, if one knows that the government is passing laws such as the one on traffic safety or the announced law prohibiting usurious interest, which will burden the courts with thousands of new cases," the MP said.
The state secretary at the Justice Ministry, Antun Palaric, dismissed the opposition's claim that cases from family law would be transferred to courts because of the inefficient administration, announcing that the government would propose the second phase of the reform of the state administration during the autumn.
He added that the government was investing great efforts into the reform of the judiciary and state administration, which he said was also assessed positively by international bodies with which the ministry cooperated.