Clause 41
Child Maintenance and Other Payments Bill
11:00 am
Michael Clapham (Barnsley West and Penistone, Labour)
I do not class myself as an expert; it is simply the case that, as a compensation officer years ago, I used to deal with claims that came under the 1979 Act. However, the hon. Gentleman’s point raises some of the complexities that the Minister will have to deal with. I should have thought that a claimant who wished the payment to be divided in a particular way would set that out in a will. Once a claimant has died, and we are left with a number of siblings, it will be difficult for the Minister to interpret what that person would have wished. However, I hope that the Minister will clarify some of the issues, particularly in relation to subsections (3)(b) and (5).