Claudia's father hits out at 'lack of support'

Peter Lawrence travelled to the House of Commons yesterday to meet with MPs including Hugh Bayley, who represents the York Central constituency where the university chef lived before vanishing 22 months ago.

The MP for Selby and Ainsty, Nigel Adams, who is a personal friend of Mr Lawrence, also organised a meeting with other politicians last night.

Mr Lawrence claimed that the Ministry of Justice had been obstructing attempts to overhaul the law to provide more support for anyone who is having to deal with a missing person's estate.

The 64-year-old solicitor, from Slingsby, in North Yorkshire, said: "It is time for this to be sorted out in new legislation and I can't understand why the Justice Minister (Kenneth Clarke) is so lacking in compassion.

"I am seeking an early meeting with the Minister to tell him what it is like to be landed in such a situation.

"Claudia is still missing and I want him to realise that lack of action is no answer to the needs of families left behind."

The Missing People charity has called for a "presumption of death" act to be introduced in England and Wales; for banks to introduce standard mortgage arrangements for families of missing people; and for insurance companies to freeze or take over a missing relative's policy payments.

Some families have lost their homes and jobs as they battled to pay the unexpected bills.

The Ministry of Justice claimed that, while the charity's campaign was welcomed, there are no plans to change legislation as any new law would apply to only a "relatively small number of cases".

Miss Lawrence, then aged 35, was last seen walking near her home in Heworth Road, York, on March 18, 2009.

North Yorkshire Police upgraded the missing person inquiry to a murder investigation the following month.