VISCOUNT COLVILLE OF CULROSSMy Lords, again I rise on behalf of my noble and learned friend the Lord Chancellor, to move that this Bill be now read a second time. It, too, is a Consolidation Bill but it gives effect in addition to the recommendations of the Law Commission in their Report (Cmnd. 5167) that was laid before Parliament last month.
The Bill consolidates most of the surviving provisions of the Matrimonial Causes Act, 1965, the whole of the Divorce Reform Act, 1969, the greater part of the Matrimonial Proceedings and Property Act, 1970, the whole of the Nullity of Marriage Act, 1971, together with certain other provisions relating to matrimonial proceedings. The Law Commission's more important proposals—and there are quite a number of them—are designed to improve the rule-making powers, particularly relating to parties to a matrimonial cause, to clarify a respondent spouse's right to have her financial position considered before being divorced and to remove a possible doubt about the right to remarry after decree absolute. With the permission of the House, I will not go into the details of these changes at this stage, because they will go to the Joint Select Committee on Consolidation Bills; and I would also remind the House that the Law Commission's recommendations can be debated and discussed in this House after the Bill comes back from the Joint Select Committee. Therefore perhaps I may leave the matter there to-day. My Lords, I beg to move.
§ Moved, That the Bill be now read 2ª.—(Viscount Colville of Culross.)
§ On Question, Bill read 2ª, and referred to the Joint Committee on Consolidation Bills.