Guardianship Bill Brought Before Parliament
January 11, 2017
Julian was encouraged with the steps taken towards introducing guardianship legislation in Parliament today. The matter was brought before the House of Commons in a 10 Minute Rule Motion introduced by Kevin Hollinrake, the MP for Thirsk and Malton.
The Bill would allow families to manage the financial and property affairs of a person who goes missing. This campaign has been led by Julian’s constituent Peter Lawrence, father of Claudia Lawrence who went missing in York back in March 2009.
Last year, Julian co-authored a letter to the then Prime Minister, David Cameron with Kevin Hollinrake and Rachael Maskell, the Member of Parliament for York Central. The letter was signed by 75 MPs from a number of political parties and called upon the Government to include guardianship reforms in the Queen’s Speech.
The Bill will now move forward to First Reading in February before hopefully progressing to a full parliamentary debate.
Julian said:
“This is a big step towards introducing a reform that will fundamentally transform the lives of families who find themselves in unimaginably horrific circumstances. It cannot be right that people face the threat of losing their home or being chased for credit card debts at the same time they are coming to terms with the fact that a loved one has gone missing.
Proposals in this area have Government and cross-party support, but it is proving difficult to secure parliamentary time for what is likely to be complex legislation. Today’s Bill brings us one step closer to introducing a humane reform that is long overdue.”
