Fiona Bruce MP supports Presumption of Death Bill
Fiona Bruce MP has worked on the Public Bill committee to help bring into law the Presumption of Death Bill.
Fiona said “This bill seeks to address a serious problem for a number of families each year. When a relative goes missing and cannot be found, a death certificate cannot be obtained, and this can cause many problems for years afterwards. For example, standing orders or direct debits cannot be stopped from the missing persons bank account in a timely way so money often flows out and is irrecoverable.”
This Bill would allow courts to issue a “Presumption of Death Certificate” which would act in a similar way to a death certificate, creating a single legal process for dealing with a missing person’s affairs. Relatives of a missing person would be able to apply to the High Court for this ‘Presumption of Death Certificate’ establishing that the person is thought to have died. At present there is a requirement to wait at least seven years.
Fiona says “The current seven year period is far too long, not only for many practical reasons but also because, for some families, this is an important step towards gaining closure of what is a very distressing time for them.”
If, in a rare case the missing person was subsequently found the certificate could be revoked.
John Glen MP, the sponsor of the Bill, said:
“This legislation has a chance to make a practical difference to the lives of those families with loved ones who have gone missing.”
Fiona added:
“I was very pleased to be able to support the Presumption of Death Bill committee stage and will continue to support this Bill. It will make matters less drawn out for families and loved ones who cannot sort out the affairs of a missing person until after the seven year period and allow them to rebuild their lives.”
