Clause 1
Forced Marriage (Civil Protection) Bill [Lords]
10:30 am
Humfrey Malins (Woking, Conservative)
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr. Hood. I should like the Minister to be aware that the amendments to which I shall speak today are purely probing amendments. I shall speak briefly, and there is no question of my forcing any Opposition amendment to a Division, no matter how much I am provoked—I am in that sort of relaxed mood. I seek only to find out more about the relevant clauses.
Amendment No. 1 seems to me to be more important than the lead amendment. It deals with the giving of evidence by witnesses, particularly by vulnerable witnesses. We are all aware that, in recent years, the present Government in particular have introduced measures to assist vulnerable witnesses in court cases. When sitting in the Crown court and the stipendiary court, I have on many occasions heard applications by the defence that a witness should be given extra protection. Witnesses have quite often given evidence from behind a screen or in some other way that allowed them not to have to face the other party. That is especially important in certain cases, such as domestic violence cases.
I am sure that the Minister will agree that some very vulnerable people will give evidence about sensitive issues during applications for forced marriage protection orders, which I imagine will be take place in the county court or the High Court. There might be an element of fear, and I hope that she will agree that each of the protections that are currently available in the criminal courts should be available in the civil courts, too. That is all I have to say about this little group of amendments. I look forward to the Minister’s reply.