Claudia’s father
blasts missing people reforms

A Private Members Bill has been drawn up to introduce a certificate of presumed death in a bid to cut the red tape facing families of missing people.

But Mr Lawrence, whose daughter vanished more than three years ago, has maintained the proposed overhaul does not go far enough to end the legal problems faced by distraught relatives.

He wants to see new guardianship laws introduced to give families the chance to apply for power of attorney to deal with the legal affairs of missing relatives – and thereby streamline the legal system even further.

Mr Lawrence, 65, a solicitor from York, has been at the forefront of a campaign to change laws to help families dealing with the affairs of missing loved ones. He was in London yesterday for a meeting of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Runaway and Missing Children and Adults during which the Tory MP for Salisbury, John Glen, who has sponsored the Bill, revealed the proposed legislation’s details and confirmed it will be published in full today.

Mr Lawrence said: “This is certainly a step in the right direction, but it is still not enough. The legal system is so complicated, no-one can understand it and the Government has acknowledged that a change in the law is required.

“But I would hope that the issue of guardianship will be introduced for the sake of the families who find themselves in the situation of a relative who has gone missing.”

The Justice Select Committee published recommendations in February calling for an end to the different provisions under existing laws.

The select committee’s report recommended that a single certificate declaring someone “presumed dead” should be brought in to help families resolve the affairs of a missing person. It said the current law was a “crazy paving” of different provisions that leaves families facing a “confusing, costly and emotionally-exhausting legal process”.

David Cameron paid tribute in March to Mr Lawrence’s efforts to change the law. The Prime Minister acknowledged the difficulties faced by families whose loved ones had vanished when he was asked about the issue during Prime Minister’s Questions.

But Mr Lawrence spoke of his disappoint in May after the Government had failed to provide a formal response to the select committee’s recommendations – despite assurances that one would be given by the end of April. A response was eventually provided in July.

Mr Glen maintained he hoped the Bill would now progress after a second reading on Friday next week, and it is hoped the new law will be in place by July next year.

He added: “This will hopefully make the whole legal process a lot easier for people to deal with at a time when they are having to contend with immense emotional turmoil after a loved one has gone missing.”

Miss Lawrence was 35 when she was last seen near her York home in March 2009. The missing person inquiry was upgraded to a murder investigation the following month.

A Ministry of Justice spokeswoman said: “We understand the emotional and practical difficulties faced by those whose loved ones are missing and thought to be dead.

“We have committed to introduce legislation to create a presumption of death certificate to ease this situation as soon as parliamentary time allows and will look carefully at Mr Glen’s Bill.”

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